Hermione's Fall
by Lyssa117
Summary: The war is over, and the Dark Side has emerged triumphant. Hermione has been taken prisoner by Lucius Malfoy and lives her life as a slave in the manor. This will be a Dramione! Rated M to be safe...
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters. Just borrowing for a little while...:)**

**Okay, I had to write a Dramione! :) Enjoy..._The story may be written in a series of drabbles/one shots or be an actual story...not sure yet where it will go! Rated M to be safe.. _**

_Summary: This story takes place after the war, which was won by the Dark Side. After Voldemort's death, the remaining Death Eaters quickly disarmed Harry, gained possession of the Elder Wand, and took over the Wizarding World. _

_Hermione was captured by Lucius Malfoy, lost her wand to him, and lives life as a slave in the manor. _

She opened her eyes to another day, and immediately regretted it. There was nothing to look forward to anymore, no hope, no promise of happiness or peace. This life was all she had to look forward to now, her value being lower than that of a house elf. She moved to stretch her arms and winced slightly, her back still pained her occasionally. Her sleeping quarters, which were nothing more than a broom cupboard in the basement, did not help the situation at all. There was no heat, which was one of the biggest challenges she had to face. All she had was one thin blanket which she wrapped around herself every night as tightly as she could, but it did nothing to relieve the biting misery that left her shivering all night long.

She supposed that she might as well get up. There was absolutely no chance of getting anything to eat if she remained down here, and while she risked physical harm if she went upstairs, at least there was the chance of filling the gnawing ache that constantly occupied her empty stomach.

Hermione carefully put her one ripped and dirty outfit on, and dragged herself up the stairs to the main floor of Malfoy Manor.

"Where have you been? The kitchen needs cleaning, immediately!" Narcissa's sharp, angry tone found her as soon as Hermione closed the cellar door. She did not respond and moved slowly toward the large kitchen area. A few months ago she might have snapped back,

"You are a witch, don't you know any cleaning spells?" but she knew that that would only gain her a slap across the face and the denial of much needed food. She understood that the Malfoys wanted to humiliate her, to force her to work as a slave and do everything the subservient "muggle" way. She went through her days now trying to stay out of their way, trying to remain inconspicuous, and just survive.

Hermione was thankful that no one else was in the kitchen. She quickly shut both doors, and practically fell upon the breakfast leftovers remaining on the plates. After she had filled her stomach, which took a remarkably short time, she sank to her knees on the floor. Hermione put her head in her hands and wept silently but bitterly at what she had become, groveling on the floor grateful for the Malfoy's leftover meals.

After she had had her "moment," Hermione got to her feet and began the arduous task of cleaning the kitchen.


	2. Returning Home

Draco Malfoy paused at the gate, staring up at the manor. He did not know what to feel, being back here. He had not been back to his parent's house since the night that the Snatchers had triumphantly delivered Potter and friends into his aunt's gleeful hands. He tried to shake away the memory, but found that it was much harder to do when he was back here. He clearly saw Bellatrix torturing Hermione, and hated himself as much as he had that night for being so helpless. He saw Potter and Weasley bursting into the room, and the chaos that followed leading up to their escape. He had wished to escape with them, knowing full well that when Voldemort returned, his wrath would be indescribable. Unfortunately, he couldn't have been more correct. When the Dark Lord arrived at the manor and found that Potter had escaped yet again, he had severely punished everyone present. Draco shivered as he remembered only too well how horrible the Crutiatus Curse had been, and yet he had felt that he deserved it after what had happened to Hermione. His torture had not lasted long, and at the time Draco had wondered why. It became clear before long—Voldemort wanted him alert to view his parent's punishment. Seeing his mother suffering had been worse than any other physical pain that Voldemort could have inflicted upon him. His mother was not quite the same afterward, she was defeated, a part of her spirit broken. She had still had enough of a will left in her to resist Voldemort's movement in the end, and had falsely reported that Potter was dead. This betrayal had ultimately led to the Dark Lord's death, which Draco was sincerely thankful.

He had never been close with his overbearing father, and couldn't stand to be near him after the war. Shortly after Hogwarts was put back together, Draco had set off for the Muggle world. This was his first trip back to the manor in months, and it was only because he missed his mother. He did not know how his unannounced arrival would be received, but he certainly planned to avoid his father as much as possible.

With a sigh, Draco decided that he had waited long enough. He placed his hand on the gate, knowing that the magical wards would recognize him and alert his mother.

OOOOooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOO

Hermione had just finished the kitchen and was bringing Narcissa her requested cup of tea when the older witch jumped up, her normally pale face flushed with excitement.

"My son! Draco...he's home at last!" She ignored the tea and ran from the room. Hermione felt a shiver of fear run through her. The last few months had been terrible, but at least nothing too atrocious had happened to her. She instinctively stayed far away from Lucius and his cold, leering eyes. Narcissa made her work hard and occasionally slapped her, but had not subjected her to the Cruciatus Curse. She also did not request Hermione's presence when Bellatrix was in the manor, allowing Hermione to take refuge in her basement closet. But now that Draco was returning...whenever Hermione thought of him, all she could see was that night when Bellatrix had tortured her. The way his gray eyes had locked with her own. She had hated him for being there to witness that, unwilling to help her. She had always known that Draco hated her and everything she stood for, but they had gone through six years of school together. True, he had not betrayed them that night by identifying them, but he had not made a move to help, either. And still, in the Room of Requirement, when they were fleeing from the Fiend Fyre, it had been Hermione who had convinced Ron to fly back and help Harry save Draco. Why she had done that, she would never know, but Hermione had a strong feeling that she was going regret that action very soon.


	3. Crucio!

"Mudblood! Get up here now!" Narcissa's screech reached into Hermione's cold basement room. With a sigh, she began the slow ascent up the stairs. She moved to open the door, but it flew open magically before she could. Narcissa had her wand pointed at the door, her face red with anger.

"Where have you been hiding? Get in that kitchen...my son is home and you will serve dinner tonight!" Hermione nodded, eyes downcast. She went toward the kitchen, feeling Narcissa's cold eyes on her the entire time. Her heart was pounding. She did not want to see Draco Malfoy again, certainly did not want him to see her like this. His taunts would be unbearable, every look he would give her would be mocking, adding to her humiliation. Hermione tried to ask herself why she even cared anymore, and could not come up with an answer. It didn't matter anyway, she had no choices, no options left to her.

Hermione helped the house elves prepare the dinner, thankful that cooking had always been one of her strong skills. When the word reached her that the appetizers had been finished and the family was ready for dinner, she picked up a serving plate and steeled herself. She could do this. She would survive.

OOOoooOOOOoooOOOO

Draco settled back in his chair, waiting for the house elves to bring out the main course. So far, his homecoming had been pleasant and uneventful. His mother had been overjoyed to see him, and he appreciated the effort she was making to make sure that he was happy and content. His father was as arrogant as ever, but Lucius had not said or done anything to get on his nerves tonight. Draco wondered if his father had truly missed him, even though he knew that Lucius would never lower himself to admitting it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco noticed that one of the house elves approaching with the main course appeared taller than the rest. He turned his head curiously, and sat up straighter in surprise. "Granger? Hermione Granger?" He couldn't believe it. That really was Granger, there in his house, dressed like a house elf, apparently serving him his dinner. He looked at his parents. "What's going on?"

Hermione's gaze remained firmly on the floor, and she did not even seem to acknowledge the question or Draco's recognition. Lucius shrugged.

"After the war...after you left, the Ministry started rounding up all of the Mudbloods who resisted during the war. This piece of filth was the first one I caught. I took her wand, brought her here. She does make an excellent servant...for now." His father grinned, oblivious to Narcissa's sudden frown. Draco felt himself shiver at his father's unspoken meaning. He dared another glance at Granger, knowing full well that she wouldn't take a comment like that without response. But she didn't say anything. Her only response was that her face paled and the hands holding the serving dish shook slightly. Draco felt something welling up within him, and it took a moment before he recognized the emotion as worry. The Granger he had known was fiery, a true Gryffindor, never one to back down from anything or anyone. He remembered how she had slapped his face, long ago at Hogwarts. What had happened to her? He felt an overwhelming desire to see that fire in her again. Lucius and Narcissa began talking amongst themselves, and only Draco was aware of Granger slowly approaching his place at the table. He waited until she had served him the chicken and spooned sauce over it before he addressed her.

"I don't want mine with sauce. You'll have to take that back to the kitchen and get me a clean plate." He was relieved and pleased to see a flash of defiance in her brown eyes as she slowly looked down at him.

"Get it yourself, Malfoy!" She hissed, and Draco half expected her to dump the rest of the plate over his head. He was about to laugh, but then her expression changed to one of fear and shock. She set the plate down on the table and clapped a hand over her mouth. Draco followed her wide eyed stare, and met his father's cold gray eyes. Lucius had heard the entire exchange.

A slow smile crossed Lucius's cool features. "How dare you. How dare you speak to my son, heir to the Malfoy fortune, in such a tone. You worthless little Mudblood filth." He slowly got to his feet, eyes never leaving Hermione's face. "Well, well Draco. The mudblood needs to be punished. Now you will get your chance to pay her back for all of the times she had the audacity to disrespect you at school. A touch of the Crutiatus Curse, I would think?"

OOOoooOOOOooo

Hermione could not believe her recklessness and stupidity. How could she have let Malfoy bait her like that? She had been doing so well, staying in the background, keeping out of Lucius's way. She clearly remembered what the Cruitatus Curse felt like, and knew full well that Malfoy would do it to her gladly.

Nacissa shot Hermione a look of fear, and also something close to pity. She pushed back her chair and quickly left the room. Hermione cowered against the wall, hoping that it would at least be quick. Draco stood up, and took out his wand.

"Of course, Father." He turned so that his back was to Lucius. "Look at me, Granger!" He shouted at Hermione. She raised her eyes to meet his, and was surprised to see them wide and fearful, not angry and thirsting for blood as she had expected.

_Scream. _He mouthed at Hermione, and then opened his mouth to speak the dreaded words.

OOOoooOOOOooo

Draco pointed his wand at Hermione's chest and cried out "Crucio!" with all of the venom that he could muster into his voice. He suspected that one had to _mean _Unforgivable Curses, or they wouldn't work, but he wasn't entirely sure. He remembered how the Carrows, during that last year at Hogwarts, had emphasized over and over again how a wizard using the Cruciatus Curse had to not only say the word, but picture the victim screaming in pain and relish the power and control.

He visualized Hermione safe and happy, and followed that with his best memories at Hogwarts. He hoped that this would be enough to counter the curse and make it so that she didn't feel any pain. She hesitated for a brief second, and then fell to the floor, screaming and writhing in agony.

OOOoooOOOooo

Hermione braced herself, but as the light from his wand hit her chest, the intense pain did not come. She knew that Lucius was watching, and made herself fall to the floor. She screamed and begged, her body twisting on the dining room carpet. She opened her eyes slightly to look at Lucius, to make sure that he was buying her act.

She noticed with disgust that Lucius had a twisted smile on his face and his eyes were partly closed. As he watched her, his hand slipped under his robes. _The sick bastard is getting turned on watching me suffer!_ Hermione thought in horror. She knew that her self preservation instincts to stay far away from him had been correct, but now she might as well have been under a spotlight.

"All right, hope you've learned your lesson." Draco lifted his wand, keeping the contentious tone in his voice. Lucius quickly withdrew his hand and sneered down at Hermione.

"My son went easy on you. There had better not be a next time, or you won't fare so well. And I will be the one to...take care of you." Hermione forced her body to twitch a few more times, and then slowly got to her feet.

"Please accept my apology, Mr. Malfoy." She addressed Draco. "I spoke out of turn and did not mean any disrespect." She walked slower than usual into back into the kitchen, hoping that she was giving the appearance of being in great pain. Lucius nodded his approval, and then sat back down in his seat.

"Well done, Draco."

**A/N I hope you enjoyed that chapter, it was a little longer than the first two! If everyone who "favorited" and "alerted" this story could send me a review, I would appreciate it! Any ideas or suggestions welcomed. Did you find the switching POVs confusing or distracting? Thanks! :)**


	4. Troubled Reflections

Draco lay in his bed, hands behind his head, listening to the wind howl outside. He wondered for the hundredth time what he had hoped to gain by coming back here. His parents, or his father anyway, were still the same. If anything, Lucius was even worse now that the war was over. When Draco had been growing up, Lucius had had to pretend that he wasn't the darkest of wizards, had to put on a show. Now that the Dark Side was in control, there was no mistaking where Lucius's loyalties were.

As for himself, he had had that thirst for power as well. Draco could still remember how it had felt to strut around Hogwarts, feeling better than everyone else because he was a pure-blood Slytherin and Professor Snape's favorite student. How he had hated Harry Potter back in those days—good at everything that Draco wasn't, supported by loyal, true friends—not people just trying to get in good with him for their own gain. Draco would have done anything to topple Potter off of his pedastal...until he was given that very opportunity in his sixth year. It had been because of his actions that the Death Eaters had entered Hogwarts and Dumbledore had been killed. Dumbledore, who even with a wand at his head, would still have helped Draco and his mother.

Since that moment, Draco had seen too many people experience the Cruciatus Curse, had seen too much death. He had decided during the next year that this wasn't a battle he wanted to be involved with anymore. At that point, he had to pretend that he still supported the Dark Side, to show otherwise would have meant certain death for himself and his family. Especially with Bellatrix and Voldemort making regular visits to the manor. He rubbed his temples, trying to stop the memories that he knew were coming next. That horrible night when Potter and his friends were captured and brought to the manor. What his aunt had done to Hermione Granger. How the only thing he had been able to do for them was to refuse to identify them. Even after they had escaped, and returned to the grounds of the school to fight to the end, the Dark Side had prevailed. Draco could still see how Potter, instead of just finishing Voldemort off and being done with it, had had to tell the whole story of the Elder Wand to anyone who was within earshot. Before Voldemort's body had even hit the ground, the remaining Death Eaters had rushed in and disarmed Potter, taking the Elder Wand for their own. It now sat behind charmed glass in the uppermost office at the Ministry. A time of celebration had quickly turned to one of horror as people scattered left and right, just trying to get away from the Death Eaters. Draco didn't know what had happened to Potter, although Weasley had been killed about five feet from where he and Narcissa had been cowering. He hadn't known Hermione's fate either, until he returned to the manor.

The wind gusted particularly fiercly, and Draco shivered despite the warm room. His troubled thoughts lingered on Hermione, and he wondered where she was being kept. He thought that it might be a good idea to check on her, without her knowing, just to make sure that she was warm enough.

Without leaving his bed, he softly summoned one of the house elves.

"Sir called?" The house elf said as he apparated into Draco's bedroom a moment later.

"Yes." Draco replied. "Tell me, where is Hermione Granger being held?" The house elf got a worried look on his face and wrung his hands.

"Miss Granger is being kept here at the manor, Sir." The elf met Draco's eyes, and they were filled with fear.

"I know that..." Draco said impatiently. "Where in the manor? Where is she sleeping?" The elf began to twist his long ears.

"Please please sir...you is not hurting Miss Granger!"

"Stop hurting yourself." Draco said in annoyance, but his anger was not directed at the elf. He knew that he could have ordered the creature to give him the information he wanted, but instead chose to try to comfort him. "I'm not going to hurt anyone. I just want to know where she is so that I can...make sure she's okay." The elf stared at him for a moment, and then nodded.

"Miss Granger is being in the basement. She sleeps in an old broom closet, Sir." The elf hesitated, and then added "She never complains, Sir."

Draco thanked the elf, and then dismissed him. He should have known that she would be in the cellar. He grabbed his wand, cast a strong Disillusionment Charm, and made his way out of the room.


	5. Warmth

Draco made his way down the hall, through the various rooms, and toward the basement entrance. The wind was howling angrily now, shaking the manor with its gusts. He descended the stairs, noting the temperature change in the air. The sudden blast of cold seemed to cut right through him and he quickly spoke a warming charm. Draco looked around in the dim light, and made his way toward the only broom cupboard without a door.

"Lumos." He muttered, and by his wandlight, he saw Hermione curled up in a tight ball on a small cot. She had a thin, inadequate blanket wrapped around her body, but he could see her shivering beneath it.

As he moved slowly closer, she seemed to sense his approach and sat up, clutching the ragged blanket to her chin.

"Who's there?" She called out shrilly in the dark, and he could feel her fear.

"Its only me...Draco." He answered softly, removing the charms. This allowed her to see his illuminated wand. Instead of relaxing, she grasped the blanket tighter, making him chuckle. As if a blanket would give her any protection against him.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Come to gloat?" There was fire in her eyes, which made him strangely happy. So they hadn't broken her, after all.

"No, I didn't." He said, stopping at the entrance way. "Can I come in?"

"Would it do me any good to say no?" She snapped back. "Why? Do you want to finish the job without Daddy watching?"

"I suppose it wouldn't do you any good to say no." Draco stepped over the threshold and sat down on the edge of the cot. He stood back up again quickly, surprised at how hard and flimsy it felt. Hermione laughed bitterly.

"Very comfortable accommodations you have here, Malfoy." He laughed, and she scooted to the other end of the cot, as far away from him as possible.

OoooOOOoo

Hermione huddled against the cold wall, wondering in another part of her brain what on earth was wrong with her. She had put up with all of Lucius's insults over the past few weeks without feeling anything or responding, yet something about Malfoy was bringing all of her anger to the surface. It felt good in a strange sort of way, as if something was waking up inside of her. And yet, this was not the time or the place. Draco Malfoy hated her, he always had. She was a prisoner in his house, unarmed, helpless, and weak. There was no question in her mind that the Malfoy she had known at Hogwarts would most certainly take advantage of this situation, and he appeared to have wasted no time in doing so.

It was still a mystery why he had spared her at dinner, but she supposed he preferred to torture her in private. Her fingers ached for a wand so that she could Disapparate out of this nightmare, away from this house, away from this situation. She was terrified of Lucius, but to have Malfoy see her like this and be in the position to hurt her was beyond humiliating. She felt that she had no dignity left, no shard of pride in her anymore. She closed her eyes and spoke through clenched teeth.

"Do your worst then." She gripped the sides of the cot and braced herself for the horrible pain, hoping that her screams would not alert Lucius.

To her surprise (and relief), many moments seemed to pass and nothing happened. She opened her eyes slightly and saw that Draco hadn't changed his position. He smirked when he saw her looking at him. "Welcome back."

Hermione felt tears start to well up behind her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away. What was he waiting for? Was this part of his game? Trying to look and sound braver than she felt, Hermione slowly eased herself back down on the cot.

"Well if you don't mind, Malfoy, some of us have to work hard in the morning. I need to try to get a little bit of sleep." She shivered as the wind gusted again and another icy blast swirled around the small room. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself as tight as she could, but it didn't stop her body from shivering uncontrollably.

The next thing she knew, an incredible warmth spread over her. She immediately thought of being covered by a large, soft quilt and wondered if she had finally succumbed to the cold and frozen to death. She sighed involuntarily and felt herself automatically relax.

"How's that warming charm feel?" Draco asked softly. "It's not one I'm particularly good at..."

Hermione looked up at him, a question on her face.

"Why?" She whispered, but then found that she didn't much care. If Draco wanted to make her comfortable before he raped her, or whatever he had planned, she would take it. She felt a rush of shame for feeling that way, but after having been so cold for so many miserable nights, she would have done about anything to bask in this warmth. She felt Draco sit down again, carefully this time, on the cot beside her.

"You have dark circles under your eyes, Hermione. You need to get some sleep." He stretched out so that he was laying down next to her, and the old cot almost collapsed at the added weight. Draco cursed under his breath and raised his wand again. Hermione felt the uncomfortable cot transform into a squishy mattress, and she could have cried with how wonderful it felt. Draco edged her over until she was laying facing the wall and he was behind her. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his chest, pressing his legs against her. Hermione moaned softly and settled herself against him. She felt so comfortable that she didn't care what Draco wanted, what his motives were, or what price she would have to pay. She felt her eyes growing heavy and closing, and she gave in to the delicious promise of a peaceful sleep that had eluded her for so long.


	6. Punishment

Draco lay awake for a long time, staring down at the sleeping woman in his arms. He was amazed at how small she felt, and wondered when she had eaten last. He smirked to himself when he thought about what his younger self would have said if someone had told him he would be in this position with Hermione Granger. He closed his eyes, as if trying to block out the person he had been. For a world gone mad, for having his entire value system and loyalties turned upside down and inside out, this one moment was the only thing that had felt _right_ to him in a long time. When Draco fully accepted that realization, his breathing became gradually became heavier and slower.

The wind continued to howl outside, but it didn't effect the two people sleeping comfortably in the basement closet.

OoooOOoo

Hermione woke up alone, although the bed still held the warmth and comfortable feeling that she had experienced last night. She stretched and sat up, wondering at Draco's behavior. At Hogwarts, he had had nothing but contempt for her and had reminded her of her inferior "mudblood" status at every opportunity. And now, when he had her in the most helpless and vulnerable position imaginable, he had treated her with compassion. Although she was grateful for the much needed good night's rest, she couldn't make sense of it. Perhaps he felt indebted to her for saving Goyle's life in the Room of Requirement? If that was it, then he might consider the "debt" paid in full, and she would be best to stay out his way.

Cautiously, she made her way up the stairs. There was no one in the main part of the house, so she slunk into the kitchen marveling at her luck. When she got there, she was dismayed to discover that there was no food to be had. A quick glance out the window told her that it was well past breakfast time. Her heart sank as she realized that there would be hell to pay for this.

Right on cue, a house elf apparated directly in front of her. The creature was clearly distressed, and was twisting his ears painfully. Hermione dropped to her knees in front of him.

"Magnus!...no, no please stop hurting yourself!" She grabbed his hands and held them so that he could not reach his ears.

"Thank you miss." the elf panted. "Magnus doesn't want to tell you...doesn't want to say..."

"It's okay." Hermione assured him. "Just go ahead and tell me."

"No miss...its not okay...Master Malfoy wants to see you...immediately in his private quarters..." Magnus moaned and tears fell from his eyes. Hermione let him go and sat back in terror.

"Magnus...which Master Malfoy?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The elf slowly raised his wet eyes and met hers.

"Master Lucius." He replied in a pained, quivering voice. Hermione closed her eyes, fear coursing through her entire body. She patted the elf gently on his shoulder.

"Thank you for letting me know, Magnus." She got to her feet and headed for the door, ignoring the whimpering elf behind her. Her mind was racing. She had managed to avoid Lucius for weeks, and now, with one act of irresponsible oversleeping, she was going to be subjected to whatever "punishment" he would gladly mete out. She squared her shoulders and tried to be brave as she made her way toward Lucius's rooms. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the closed door.

"Enter," came the drawl from within. Hermione opened the door and stepped inside, head down. "Why Miss Granger. Thank you so much for seeing fit to honor me with your presence on this fine day." Lucius's voice was edged with sarcasm. "Look at me!" She raised her terrified eyes to meet his, and saw delight cross his face. "It appears that my son did not discipline you as thoroughly as was required. You need to know your place."

"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy." Hermione whispered, hating the fear in her voice but not being able to control it. "I...I overslept...it won't happen again..."

"I didn't give you permission to address me." Lucius growled. "You will learn some much needed obedience today. Now, remove your clothing. Slowly." He sat back in a chair and waited. Hermione felt her face burn with humiliation. Even though she knew that she was at his mercy, that she had absolutely no means to resist, there was a spark of defiance in her.

"I won't." She said softly. Instead of getting angry, a smile crossed Lucius's features. He lifted his wand and pointed it at her.

"Crucio." He whispered in a chilling, but almost loving, voice.

Hermione screamed as the jet of light struck her. The pain was unbelievable, unimaginable...she would do anything to end it...and then the curse was lifted. She found herself laying on the floor, gasping, body aching.

"Care to reconsider?" Lucius leered down at her. "Or do you need more convincing?" Hermione shook her head.

"No...please..." She got to her feet as quickly as she could and began removing her clothing as directed. He was going to toy with her, and the more she resisted, the more he would hurt her and enjoy it. She thought of her friends, of Harry and Ron and all of their happy moments together. She would keep their faces in her mind and they would be her reality while she distanced herself from this nightmare.

When she stood before him, devoid of any clothing, Lucius licked his lips and nodded his approval.

"Very good, Mudblood. It seems you're a fast learner. Now, shall I give you another taste of pain in case you have any other thoughts of resistance? Not that I will mind if you do..." He grinned and pointed his wand purposely at various points on her body. "I do enjoy seeing you Mudblood bitches groveling and begging before me..." He spoke the words and the curse hit her again, but while her body writhed on the floor in agony, Hermione was safe in the Griffindor common room, laughing with Harry and Ron at some old forgotten joke.

**A/N Don't worry, it will be better soon! Sorry to leave off on this dark note, promise that I will upload the next chapter before the day is over! Don't forget to leave me a review...**


	7. A Time to Choose Sides

Draco paced restlessly around his large room. There was a feeling of general unease inside of him, and he couldn't seem to shake it. He had reluctantly left Hermione sleeping peacefully, the warming charm still around her. When he had left the protection of the charm, he had been shocked by how cold it was. It was like sleeping inside of a Muggle refrigerator. If Hermione had had to endure that every night, it was no wonder she was so exhausted. He had become worried when she did not appear at breakfast, but Lucius had not seemed to notice.

Draco planned to wait another twenty minutes or so, and then go find Hermione and make sure that she had something nourishing to eat. He thought absently of visiting with his mother, but that left the problem of having to extract himself when he wanted to find Hermione. No, it was better to just wait here for a little while. He picked up a book and tried to read, but the unease was turning into full blown anxiety. He ran his hands through his blond hair, checked his reflection in the mirror, and headed for his doorway.

A moment later he jumped back as a loud crack signaled the appearance of one of the house elves.

"What the hell..." he said angrily, staring at the quivering elf. "You should know better than to barge into a closed room like that..." Draco stopped as he took in the elf's state. He was shaking and appeared to be having some kind of war with himself. He would start to speak to Draco, and then punch himself hard in the mouth. Eyes widening, Draco grabbed his arms.

"What...Magnus, isn't it?...Do you want to tell me something?" The elf nodded, and then clamped his mouth shut. Draco knew that there was only one thing that could make a house elf behave in this matter...disobeying a direct order. He picked up the elf and placed him on a nearby chair.

"Magnus, I order you to tell me what you came here to say!"

The elf took a deep breath and faced Draco.

"Miss Hermione...sir...Master Malfoy..." Draco reeled back, his face paling.

"Hermione! Does my father have her?" When the elf nodded to confirm his fears, he cried out "Where? I order you to tell me where Hermione is!"

"In Master's private quarters..." Magnus spat out, but Draco was already at the door. Before he left the room, he turned back to Magnus.

"I forbid you to punish yourself!" Knowing that his father suspected that he hadn't really used Crucio on Hermione the other night, Draco drew his wand as he sprinted down the hall.

OoooOOoo

Lucius lifted his wand and laughed. Hermione slowly and painfully picked herself up and into a sitting position. She tried to make herself as small as possible and buried her face in her arms. She would not, _would not _give Lucius the satisfaction of seeing her cry, even though the pain was almost unbearable. She suddenly understood, with horrible clarity, how Neville Longbottom's parents had lost their minds to this curse. She herself would not be able to stand much more of it. Anything that Lucius had planned for her, and she had a pretty good idea what that was, would pale in comparison to the Cruciatus Curse. She would get through this, she would survive.

"Come here, you Mudblood bitch. Now!" Hermione looked up in dread, and saw that Lucius had moved his robes aside. "Get on those pretty knees of yours, crawl over here, and service me. And you better do it really good or..." He brandished his wand menacingly. Hermione focused again on Harry and Ron as she forced herself to move closer to him. She was surprised for a moment when a memory of last night, of Draco holding her, crept in as well. But then she was near Lucius, and the whole room was full of him, and she bent herself in to do as he said...

"No." A quiet voice spoke from the doorway. "I won't allow it, Lucius." Hermione moved quickly away from Lucius and turned to see Narcissa standing there, wand pointed at her husband. Lucius laughed again, and did not lower his own wand.

"Welcome to our party Narcissa. Although it appears you have arrived uninvited, I will be happy to have you join us." Narcissa shook her head.

"You know what the Dark Lord did to me, Lucius. I won't have this, not in my house!" Her voice rose to near hysteria and her wand hand shook. Lucius scoffed and kicked at Hermione, who was cowering in the corner.

"What? It's only a Mudblood, Cissy. I would've thought you'd be relieved that I'm satisfying my...needs...elsewhere, but if that's the way you want to play..." Hermione dodged his kick and tried to make eye contact with Narcissa. She knew what was going to happen before it did...

"Expelliarmus!" Two voices rang out in the room. Narcissa's wand flew out of her hand at the same that Lucius's did. Draco charged into the room, caught them both, and handed his mother back her wand. Without taking his eyes off of his father, Draco shrugged off his robe and tossed it one handed to Hermione. She gratefully snatched it up and pulled it over herself. Wand held out, but hand steady, Draco advanced on Lucius.

"How dare you..."

"I'm ashamed of you!" Lucius screamed at him, spit flying out of his mouth. "Where have you been all these months, _son_? Out consorting with mudbloods? Do you fancy yourself one of them now? Too bad for you then, because our side is in control!"

"That's going to change." Draco said through gritted teeth, and Hermione knew that he was having a difficult time keeping his emotions in check. As if to illustrate that fact, sparks were shooting out of the end of his wand. His hand clenched it tighter, and the sparks grew more intense. One of them struck Lucius in the face, and he howled in pain and fury. "I could Crucio you right now, you power hungry animal, for what you were going to do to Hermione and my mother." Draco hissed. "And you would deserve every minute of it." Narcissa crept forward and put a hand on Draco's arm.

"No son." She whispered. "You're better than that, better than him..." Draco shrugged her off and she stepped back into the shadows.

"She's right. You're not worth an Unforgivable Curse." Draco said quietly, right in his father's face. "But for all those years that you tried to turn me into you, for all the people you've hurt, for what you just tried to do..."

In one swift movement he pushed his wand up into his sleeve so that both hands were free. His left hand became a fist, which he pulled back and slammed into Lucius's face. Hermione watched as blood spurted from Lucius's nose and he fell backwards from the force of the blow. Lucius was on his feet in the next instant advancing on Draco, who did not back down. Lucius raised his own fist, but Draco caught it with his hand, moved his father's arm aside, and kicked Lucius hard in the stomach. When Lucius doubled over, Draco grabbed hold of his hair and yanked his head back up. With his other hand, he punched Lucius in the jaw, sending him sprawling onto the floor. Before Lucius could move away or turn over, Draco stood over him and brought his foot down hard on the other man's groin. Lucius screamed out in pain, and then lapsed into unconsciousness.

"You're going in the basement until I figure out what to do with you. But you will never hurt them again. And don't bother trying to get out because the wards have already been set in place against you." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Lucius's unresponsive face. He muttered the words, there was a flash of light, and Lucius disappeared. Draco stared at the place where he had been for a moment, breathing hard. Then he seemed to remember Hermione, and ran over to her.

"Hermione! Are you all right? Did I get here in time...?" His blue eyes looked into her brown ones, full of concern. Hermione wrapped his robe tighter around herself and nodded.

"I'm okay, Draco." She knew that wasn't entirely true, and as soon as she tried to stand, she swayed dangerously on her feet. Draco caught her and held her against him.

"I'm taking you upstairs...Magnus will help me take care of you. And then we have some things to talk about." He scooped her up, and Hermione sighed against his chest. Her heart was pounding, now that it was over, the horror of what had happened and what had almost happened was overwhelming her. Draco started to leave the room, and she clutched on to him as they walked by Narcissa.

"Wait..." she looked at the older woman, but Narcissa avoided her gaze. "Thank you, Narcissa. That took a lot of courage." Narcissa still would not look at Hermione, but a single tear rolled out of her eye.

"He won't hurt you again, Mother." Draco said quietly. Narcissa turned her face completely away, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. Draco started to say something else, but then closed his mouth and left the room, giving his mother privacy.

**Next up: Draco comforts Hermione...**


	8. Changing

**A/N This will be more of a "fluffy, transition" sort of chapter. Readers may be happy to see that Hermione is on her way to being her old spirited self instead of weak and victimized. Draco is confused, but knows which side he wants to be on now. He will get stronger in future chapters and won't lose that arrogance I love about him! Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!** ** I don't own anything, all characters belong to JK...**

Draco looked down at Hermione, who was curled up in a ball, eyes closed. His emotions were conflicted, going between intense anger, confusion, and sorrow. He tried to force all of it away as he focused on the defeated woman laying on his bed. He reached out to touch her shoulder, and then pulled his hand away at the last minute. Being touched was probably the last thing she wanted right now. He ran his hands through his hair instead, and then spoke her name softly.

"Hermione?" She had not been sleeping, and was startled by the sound of his voice. She opened her eyes quickly and looked at him. He was dismayed to see the fear and wariness reflected in them. "You must be starving...someone will be up shortly with some food for you." Hermione nodded gratefully, and tried to smile.

"Thank you." Her voice was barely above a whisper. He shrugged and looked away, feeling deeply ashamed of what his own father had done to her. Draco walked over to the window and stared out at the aftermath of last night's wind storm. There were tree branches scattered about the snow covered yard, and he shivered despite the heat in the room. When he turned to face her again, he saw that she had moved into a sitting position on the bed and was watching him.

OoooOOoo

As she quietly pulled herself up, Hermione assessed her body by stretching various parts. She was sore from the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse, but nothing seemed to be damaged or broken. She knew that she had Draco to thank for that, and to some extent, Narcissa. She would not allow the thought of Lucius to enter her mind, but she clearly remembered Draco telling him that "things were going to change." She wondered what he had meant by that and wanted to ask him, but didn't. She still wasn't sure if she could trust him. Her empty stomach rumbled, and she knew that before she thought about anything further she would need to eat. She found herself consumed with thoughts of food and hoped that it would arrive soon.

Before long, there was a knock at the closed door. "Magnus has arrived with the requested food, sir." Draco quickly opened the door and took the tray from the house elf.

"Thank you Magnus. Please take the rest of the day off, and tomorrow to enjoy with your family." The house elf looked surprised, but bowed to Draco and then disapperated without another word. Draco walked over to the bed and placed the tray next to Hermione. "I thought that we could eat lunch together, if that's okay." He sat across from her and reached for a piece of chicken. Hermione smiled at him, and concentrated on not grabbing for the food.

When she had eaten her fill (the tray held a variety of foods and kept refilling itself), she sat back and looked at Draco. They had not said a word all through lunch, she sensed that he knew she would rather just eat and not talk.

"Are you all set?" He asked her. "Did you have enough?"

"Yes, I feel much better now. Thanks again. Can we talk a little?" Draco nodded and flicked his wand to vanish the tray.

"Hermione...I can't tell you enough how sorry..." She held up her hand and shook her head.

"I know Draco. I really don't want to talk about that right now. You said something about changing things...what did you mean?" He sighed.

"I know that I wasn't always kind to you, Hermione. But during the war, I finally realized which side was the right one. There wasn't much I could do about it, though. After the war ended, I didn't want to be a part of this world anymore. I've been living among Muggles these past few months, protecting when I can, but mostly just trying to distance myself. Forget."

"What made you return?" Hermione asked softly.

"I missed my mother." He looked in her eyes. "No matter what her other faults, she always genuinely loved me and tried to protect me from the Dark Side. I knew that she would need me here, I didn't want to leave her alone with my...alone for too long."

"So what happens now?" Hermione felt a little braver now that she wasn't so hungry. "Are you saying that you want to fight against the Dark Side now?" Draco looked at his hands.

"I don't know. I don't really have a plan, I guess. I'm just doing what feels right...being with you last night felt right. Kicking my father's ass definitely felt right." He met her eyes again, and she noticed that he was troubled. "I don't know a lot about being in a war. I spent most of the Wizarding War hiding out here, remember?" He had a pained look on his face.

"Well...I don't want to stay here as a prisoner, if I'm being given the choice." She offered, knowing that she was pushing her luck. Draco laughed.

"I have no intention of keeping you a prisoner, and I don't think my mother does, either. She was only doing what she had to do to survive. Not that that's an excuse, because I'm sure she didn't make things easy for you..."

"...but they could have been worse." Hermione finished. "She protected me from Bellatrix by keeping me out of her sight. As long as I kept my mouth shut around your father I was okay..."

"Until I came back." Draco smiled humorlessly. "I don't know why I said that to you at dinner, I just needed to see that you hadn't been broken, that the Granger I knew and admired was still there." Hermione stared at him.

"Admired..? You could've fooled me, Malfoy! You never had anything good to say about or to me in school!"

"I know...one could say that I paid you too much attention. I don't think I realized how I felt about you until that day you slapped me in front of my friends." He grinned at her.

Hermione's face reddened.

"Well...you did deserve it, acting like an arrogant git."

"Yeah, I was good at that. But nobody had ever stood up to me like that before. You have a lot of spirit and courage, Granger. Everything you did during the war...I don't think I could have been able to resist and fight like that." She searched his face, but there was nothing but sincerity on it.

"Malfoy, you never know how much courage you have until you're in a situation where you don't have any other choice. I still have nightmares about that war, about how it ended, how we were defeated. I don't even know what happened to my friends." Her eyes filled with tears remembering their shortened celebration when Voldemort had died and how everything had gone downhill from that moment.

"I don't know what happened to Potter." Draco answered quietly. "But Weasley..." Hermione felt her heart jump and her stomach drop. There was something about the way he had hesitated. She did not want to know, but couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Ron? Do you know what happened to Ron?" Draco closed his eyes and put his hand over hers.

"I think he's dead, Hermione. I saw him hit with a curse and fall right in front of me."

"But you're not sure!" She clung to the fact that he had said "I think." "He could have just been stunned, right?"

"I guess so." Draco did not sound convincing. "Everything was happening so fast, and it was all so confusing..."

"Well, Malfoy..." Hermione knew that she sounded like her old "bossy" self and hoped that Draco wouldn't become angry at her. After all, he was the one with the wand right now. "Do you want to take a stand or just hide out here and lament everything that happened and is happening? Do you really want to change things?"

"Of course I do." Draco answered sharply, and Hermione knew that his confrontation with his father had strengthened something inside of him. "I'm not sure where to start, though. How do we fight the entire Ministry of Magic?"

Hermione smiled, the first real smile she had had in a long time.

"Things are different this time, Malfoy. We're on the same side now."


	9. Plans

The brutal winter gradually gave way to a calm spring. The wind traded its relentless howl for a soft breeze, the trees became green, and the world started over. As the gentle sunlight illuminated Malfoy Manor, two figures could be seen at the large dining room table, heads bent together in concentration.

"I think we should go over it one more time." Hermione touched the papers spread out across the table. "There's still so many things that can go wrong, too many situations we haven't planned for yet..."

Draco shook his head. "We could plan this and come up with strategies for the next fifty years and still not be ready. At some point we have to just do it."

"Don't forget, I've been there before!" Hermione said in an exasperated tone. "And we got out by the skin of our teeth..." Draco covered her hand with his and smiled at her.

"But I'll be with you this time." Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco seemed to underestimate the danger they would be in, was too confident in his own abilities. She chose not to respond and stared down at the diagrams in front of her instead. This was crazy, this was insane, and yet she knew that they didn't have any other options. They were really going to do it, and it was going to happen soon. She and Draco were going to actually break into the Ministry of Magic, otherwise known as Death Eater Headquarters, and try to steal the most heavily guarded item there—the Elder Wand. _If_ they were successful, and that was a big, improbable _if, _Hermione also hoped to have enough time to find out what had happened to Harry and Ron. She knew that the odds were stacked against them, and that despite all of their careful planning, it would be a miracle if she and Draco could pull this off.

Hermione rolled up her sleeves and let her fingers wander over the wand that sat on the table beside of her. Soon after imprisoning his father in the cellar, Draco had found out what had happened to her wand and gotten it back for her. She was pleased to see that it still worked properly for her, that it hadn't given its loyalty to Lucius. Though Draco had tried to include his mother in their planning sessions, Narcissa had preferred to stay closed up in her private rooms. Hermione rarely saw her, and on the occasions that their paths did cross, Narcissa would quickly turn into a room or slink away down the hall to avoid her.

"She'll come around." Draco had assured her. "It's a lot to take in, that we're plotting to overthrow the regime and she is finally free of Lucius. She just needs some more time." Hermione had hoped that he was right, but she couldn't rid herself of the slight unease she felt regarding Narcissa.

"She can't let him out, can she?" Hermione had asked in a careful voice, not wanted to offend him. Draco shook his head.

"No. The wards will only recognize me. I don't think she would do that, but don't worry, I didn't take any chances."

"Hermione?" Draco said, jolting her out of her reverie. "I just asked you if the Polyjuice Potion was ready?"

"Yes, it finished brewing last night." She knew that that was what they had really been waiting for. The last stage of the plan was complete, and it was time to proceed. "So...I guess tomorrow is the big day, right?"

"Ready or not, here we come!" Draco smiled, flexing his wand arm. Hermione shook her head at him.

"This isn't some kind of game, Malfoy! If we're caught, they will kill us...or me, anyway. You've never been right in the thick of it, having to think on your feet, change plans at a moments notice..you need to know what we're up against!" Draco clasped her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Hermione, calm down. I understand how serious this is. But I want you to know that I won't let anyone harm you ever again. We will be successful."

"Well, I wish I had your confidence." She smiled wryly. "But I do feel much better having my wand back. So, do you really think that the Elder Wand will recognize you as its Master?" Now it was Draco's turn to roll his eyes, they had been over this point many times.

"Yes, I told you...Potter never disarmed me! I was holding three wands that night, Hermione, don't you think I might have been able to stop him from taking them? I know that I'm not as talented as you (he smiled playfully when she looked alarmed), but I definitely could have cast a shield charm to keep him away from me. I _wanted_ you all to escape that night. That was my chance, my only opportunity to help without anyone knowing. I _let_ Potter take all three wands!" Hermione shook her head, still not convinced.

"But I saw what happened when Voldemort was killed! We all did! Harry told him that because he had disarmed you, he was the Master of the Elder Wand! And then the wand came to him!" Draco shrugged.

"Expelliarmus was always one of his best spells. And he and the Dark Lord had that connection...it didn't have anything to do with the Elder Wand because neither one of them was its Master! And the Death Eaters aren't in control of it now, they just think they are because they have it locked up. Once I get my hands on it..." Hermione looked at him sharply, this was another sore subject.

"Yes, and then what? Can you handle being the master of the most powerful wand history has ever known? If everything we _think_ is correct, and you _are_ the master of that wand, will it change you? You like power, Draco, admit it!"

"We all like power, Hermione. Don't worry, I'm in control of myself. I've seen too much of how power can corrupt, what it can do to people. I'm on the right side now. What can I say to convince you?" He was looking at her with such intensity in his eyes that she had to look away. Then he smiled again. "Hmmmm, maybe that's it. Maybe I don't have to _say_ anything. Actions do speak louder than words." Before Hermione could think about his words, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat, and leaned into the feeling of his lips on hers, his hands caressing her jaw. Draco kissed her gently at first, and then she moaned as he nipped her bottom lip with his teeth. She felt his tongue softly brushing over her mouth, and she parted her lips slightly. Instead of proceeding, he moved his lips to the side of hers, and then down to her chin. He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms.

"Well, that was long overdue." Draco whispered into her hair, making her smile. "This is our last day together, Hermione. Tomorrow has to be completely focused, no distractions. And you certainly are a distraction right now..." He traced his fingertips up and down her arms, making her shiver.

"Well, then, we can't have you distracted, can we?" She said in a husky voice, feeling a little foolish at this attempt at flirting. She was momentarily afraid that he would laugh at her, but she felt him gasp and then swallow. This gave her the courage to continue. "Is there anything I can do to help you with that?" He looked down at her, his eyes dark with want.

"Oh, yes, there definitely is." He released her and held out his hand. There was a question in his eyes, and Hermione knew that he was letting her choose. So much had been taken from her in the past months that she felt grateful to him for his consideration. But it was unnecessary, as she had never felt more sure of anything in her life. She placed her hand firmly in his larger one, and smiled at the grin that crossed his features. Without another word, he led out of the room and down the hall, casting Silencing Charms in their wake.

**A/N Next up...the moment you've been waiting for! A passionate day together before they infiltrate the Ministry...I will update soon :)**


	10. Together

Hermione's heart was pounding with anticipation (and a little fear) as they entered Draco's bedroom. Even though they had been sleeping here together for the past few weeks, all he had done was kiss her good night and hold her. While she loved those times together, she had found herself wondering what it would be like to do more. She didn't know exactly what that would entail, but she did read a lot and had the general idea. Beyond that...she was unsure and felt a little uncomfortable that Draco had the upper hand. She hoped that she didn't disappoint him or do something to make him laugh at her.

Draco led her over to the bed, and then stretched out on it, pulling her down beside him. Hermione lay with her head on the pillow, afraid to look at him.

"Draco, I've never.." she started to say, knowing that her face was probably five different shades of red. He put his fingers on her lips.

"It's okay." He whispered. "I won't hurt you." She nodded, feeling mortified for being so ill at ease. "Just relax...we've got all day." Draco nudged her gently, guiding her to turn over on to her stomach. She felt him move behind her, and felt her body tingle as she realized he was straddling her legs. Draco eased her shirt up, and placed his hands on her back. Gently, he began to rub the back of her shoulders, down her spine, and over the top of her hips. Hermione moaned with contentment.

"That feels good, Draco." He chuckled softly.

"Good." He continued to massage her back, his strong fingers working her muscles and skin in wonderful ways. Then he bent low over her and whispered in her ear "Don't fall asleep on me, now. We're just getting started." Hermione felt a rush of electricity all over at his words, and her hands clutched at the pillow.

"I don't think there's much chance of that happening." she whispered back, and then gasped as he began kissing the back of her neck. He continued this for awhile, and then she felt his tongue gently touching her shoulders. He kissed his way down her back, causing her to arch and moan at the overwhelming sensations. Hermione tried to turn over, but he stopped momentarily and gently, but forcefully, pressed her down into the bed.

"No, no, not yet baby." Hermione wrapped her arms around the pillow, hugging it tightly, and closed her eyes. Draco was making her body feel things that she had never felt before. The tingling sensations were getting stronger, making her restless, wanting something that she couldn't name. Draco continued kissing and stroking her bare skin, and then moved lower. His hands moved over her bottom, caressing and rubbing it through her clothing. Then he was touching her thighs, hands moving downward until he had reached her feet. Draco removed her shoes and socks, making Hermione breathless with anticipation. He moved so that he was kneeling on the floor, and pulled her ankles so that her feet were nearer the edge of the bed. He wrapped one hand around each foot, and began caressing every inch of them. When he involved his mouth, licking and nibbling on her toes, Hermione could not help but cry out "Draco! That feels so...good..." She sighed and moaned, writhing on the bed as she clutched the pillow tighter to her. The tingling sensation had turned into an ache, a sweet strong longing that seemed to be centered between her thighs. "Draco...please...please..." Hermione found herself begging, even though she was not sure what she wanted. She didn't want him to stop because it felt so incredible, and yet her body wanted more, needed more. As if he understood her body better than she herself did, Draco gently guided her on to her back and reached up to unbutton her jeans. He slid them off of her, slowly, making sure that his fingertips caressed her bare legs. Then he moved back up and slid her fingers underneath her panties, resting on her hip at first making slow, delicious circles toward her center. When he touched her there, Hermione nearly screamed and felt her body arch toward him as if on its own accord. His fingertips continued the slow, gentle circles as he caressed her, making her pant and toss her head from side to side. Then he abruptly removed his hand and was laying on top of her. Hermione reached up for him, pulling him close to her. Draco wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. While they kissed, she felt something hard pressing against her, and the need radiating from her center became almost unbearable. She moved restlessly against him, and felt him smile. Immediately fearing that she had done something wrong, Hermione turned her head to the side and murmured, "sorry." Draco placed both of his hands on her face and turned her head so that she was looking at him.

"What are you apologizing for? Do you know how incredibly sexy you are? You have no idea what you're doing to me." He pressed against her as if to demonstrate.

"Then...what are you waiting for?" Hermione asked, knowing instinctively that there was more, something wonderful needed to happen...

"I need...to make sure..you're ready.." He replied in a strained voice. He slid down her body again, hooking his thumbs in the edges of her panties. He pulled them off of her, caressing her legs and the tops of her feet as he did so. Even with the new, pulsating need assaulting her senses, Hermione was suddenly gripped with an urge to roll over, to draw her knees up and cover herself. She had never been this exposed before any man, only Lucius had seen...at the thought of Lucius, Hermione gave a sob and tried to curl herself into a ball. Draco was with her in a instant, holding her, stroking her hair, murmuring in her ear. "What's wrong, Hermione? If you don't like something I'm doing, just tell me, its okay..." Hermione shook her head and buried her face in his shoulder.

"No Draco, its not you...just laying there like that brought back that night...your father..." She felt Draco's body harden, and he grasped her tightly for a moment.

"Hermione, I'm going to put him right out of your mind. He will never touch you, never look at you, ever again. There's only you and I now. Look at me..." Hermione raised her head slowly and looked into his blue eyes, which were filled with intensity and concern. She noticed how his blond hair was starting to fall over his forehead, and reached up to brush it back like she had seen him do so many times. He caught her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers lightly. "Trust me baby. Just lay back and let me take care of you.." Draco moved his fingers under her shirt, sliding them slowly over her stomach until they had reached the bottom of her bra. He reached behind her, unhooked it, and then eased her shirt over her head. He removed her bra, tossing it to the floor with the rest of her clothes. His breath caught as he looked down at her. "You're so beautiful, Hermione..." He gently caressed both of her breasts, and then lowered his mouth to her taut nipples. He licked one, then the other, before taking the right one into his mouth and sucking gently. His fingers found the other, their motions mimicking his mouth and tongue. Hermione cried out with pleasure, her head tossing from side to side. She reached down and held his head, stroking his hair while moaning his name over and over again.

Draco attended to her breasts for a few more minutes, and then moved lower. He kissed his way down her stomach, enjoying the heat that was rising off of her body. When Hermione felt his tongue touch her _there_, she arched her back and screamed his name. Draco moved his tongue up and down on her, and she wondered how he had known just where she needed to be kissed, known how to ignite the fire raging inside of her. He alternated between placing nibbling kisses on her and swirling his tongue around in agonizingly delightful circles. Hermione felt her body moving toward something, something delicious and out of her control.

"Draco...something's happening..." she cried out, hands reaching out to grip the sides of the bed.

"Let it happen, honey...let yourself go..." he murmured against her and then continued his wonderful nibbling. Hermione felt as though she were flying upward and then the whole world exploded in a flash of light and color. There was only Draco, only him as he held her thrashing body together and took her through each powerful spasm.

Before she could pull herself together again, collect her thoughts and process what had just happened, Draco was pulling off his own clothes and moving on top of her again. Hermione was only dimly aware of a delicious pressure against her thighs, and then inside of her. He was filling her, rocking her as he experienced each aftershock with her. He was clutching her to him, and she felt the hair on his chest tickling her sensitive nipples as he moved with her.

Hermione felt that tantalizing building sensation flood her center once again, and this time she knew what to expect. She arched her back and pressed herself against him, feeling delighted at his answering moan of pleasure. She dug her nails into his back as her body reached a peak, then climbed higher and came apart again. At her cry of release, Draco buried his face in the crook of her neck and said her name, low and almost pained.

"Hermione...oh, Hermione..." She felt a new sensation then, a wonderful warmth flooding her insides, reaching every point within her. The heat heightened her own waves of pleasure, and she cried out his name while reaching up with her legs to pull him in deeper.

Draco held her tightly for many minutes after they had both gone still and their breathing had returned to normal. Finally, he moved over to lay beside of her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and let his hands wander lazily over her shoulders and arms.

"Draco..that was..." she started to say.

"Incredible." He finished. "I've been with others, Hermione, but I've never felt that...closeness before. Like we were made for each other..."

"and belong together." she sighed and snuggled in closer, letting her hands draw slow circles on his chest. He caught her hand and grinned at her.

"If you keep that up, I might not let you get any rest today."

"Who said I was tired?" Hermione replied impishly, and then moved on top of him. A slow smile crossed Draco's face.

"Well now, looks like I've created a monster. No complaints here, honey." He pulled her in closer, and all thoughts of the Ministry and the dismal tomorrow that loomed before them were forgotten.

**A/N Reviews please! Let me know how I did ;) hope you enjoyed!**


	11. The Lair of the Enemy

Hermione ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. Even though it felt unnatural to her, she liked how she silky it felt—no tangles or bushiness. She turned at the sound of someone approaching, and felt her heart catch in her throat as Lucius Malfoy came striding toward her. He raised his snake's head cane as he spotted her, and then turned around a few times slowly.

"Well? How do I look?" He asked. Hermione smiled tightly and nodded at him.

"Perfectly horrible." She blushed as she realized that as much as she hated Lucius, he was still Draco's father. He grinned and didn't seem to be offended.

"Good. I hope you're not worried about this part of the plan. It's perfectly natural for my parents to be hanging out at the Ministry. In fact, the Death Eaters are probably wondering where they've been. Especially our darling Minister." Hermione shivered at the thought of running into the Minister, who was none other than the notoriously insane Bellatrix Lestrange. Noticing her reaction, Draco moved closer and put his arms around Hermione. She shrank away from him instantly, bringing up her wand at the same time. He dropped back at once, a stricken look on his face.

"Sorry." Hermione muttered. "It's just that you look like _him_, and I can't stand to have him near me..."

"I know." Draco said. "I wasn't thinking..." He ran his hands through his hair, a move that Hermione had come to associate with him. She smiled, closed her eyes, and embraced him. He hesitated a moment, and then wrapped her in his arms. "Let's get this over with."

OoooOOoo

Draco held Hermione close to him, trying to give off a bravery he did not feel. The truth was that there was so much that could go wrong with their plan, he didn't see how they were going to succeed. He knew that Hermione was an extremely talented witch, but the place was obviously going to be crawling with Death Eaters. He had a back up plan in case things went wrong, a plan that he hadn't told Hermione about. She wouldn't like it at all, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to use it. Especially since his plan involved only one of them making it out alive. He looked down at her, disguised as his mother. Even though she had Narcissa's likeness, he could still see Hermione in her eyes, in the way she held herself, in her smile...Draco mentally shook himself. He had to focus if they had any chance at all. That wand was their only hope, the only hope of the Wizarding World. And if his theory was correct, he was the only one who could truly control it. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he was wrong. All of their careful plans centered on getting into the Ministry and obtaining the Wand. Once it was in his hands, the game would be up and the Death Eaters would be upon them. If he was its Master, they wouldn't stand a chance against him. If he wasn't...well, he kept his thoughts from going in that direction just yet. Hermione pulled away from him slightly and looked up at him.

"Ready?" She asked him brightly, doing a poorer job than him at hiding her fear.

"Whenever you are, baby." He said roguishly, earning himself a playful smack from Hermione. He took her arm, twisted, and Apparated them both to the entrance of the Ministry.

"Why, Mr. and Madame Malfoy! So good to see you, I trust you have business here today?" Hermione felt her heart beat faster as she recognized Yaxley, the Death Eater who was Head of Magical Law Enforcement. She hoped that it wasn't a bad omen, running into the person who had almost caught her, Harry, and Ron on their last illegal trip to the Ministry.

"Of course, Yaxley." Draco answered in a perfect imitation of his father's smooth drawl. "Narcissa and I are here to reclaim our possessions that were confiscated in the raids from...that other regime." He smiled cruelly, and Hermione had to physically steel herself against shrinking away from him. She forced herself to meet Yaxley's eyes and nod in Narcissa's haughty manner.

"Ah yes. Filthy mud bloods and blood traitors, all of them. Well, those dark days are behind us, my friend! You'll want to take the lift to the 4th floor and speak to Dawlish, he's in charge of magical items. After you..." Yaxley gestured toward the door, and followed them through it.

Hermione was astounded by how confidently Draco strode in. There was not an air of doubt, no reason at all for anyone to suspect that something was amiss. She supposed that it came from being a Slytherin, they were naturally good at being sneaky and deceitful. She hoped that she was doing a good enough job acting.

They made it to the 4th floor without incident, and found themselves in front of Dawlish's office. A quick glance around told Hermione that the Wand was not being kept here. She had not expected it to be that easy, but knew that they had less than an hour to complete their task.

They entered the office, and found Dawlish there alone. Draco shut the door nonchalantly, and Hermione cast a silent silencing charm on it. Their plan had been to get a Ministry official alone, but things had gone well and they were ahead of schedule.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Malfoy?" Dawlish asked pleasantly as he addressed Draco and nodded at Hermione.

"Ah, Dawlish." Draco said in a friendly manner. "Narcissa and I were hoping to reclaim some of our confiscated possessions. But as we are not in a rush, I thought it would be nice if we sat down to a drink together first to catch up." Dawlish looked momentarily surprised, and then shrugged.

"Why not?" He stood up and moved toward a closed cabinet. "What's your pleasure, Lucius? Madame Malfoy?"

"Thank you Dawlish, but I happen to have my supply of Godin's Best Firewhiskey right here with me." Draco winked at the other man and pulled the bottle from his cloak. "If you would be so kind as to fetch glasses..."

"Of course." Dawlish waved his wand and conjured three glasses, which he placed on his desk. Draco handed the bottle to Hermione, and she poured all three, willing her hand not to shake. Dawlish held up his glass.

"To the Ministry." He said, and Draco and Hermione echoed him enthusiastically. They both pretended to sip as they watched Dawlish take a hearty gulp. "Ah, nothing like a good glass of Firewhiskey! Now, about your possessions..." A strange, blank look came over his face and he dropped into his chair. Hermione quickly moved behind the desk and pulled Dawlish's wand out of his unresisting fingers. Draco perched on the edge of the desk and addressed him.

"Tell me your name."

"Whittaker Vernon Dawlish." Dawlish answered in a monotone voice. Hermione smiled and Draco clenched his fist in triumph.

"Phase 1, success! Okay, Dawlish, where is the Elder Wand stored?"

"On the fifth floor, outside of the Minister's office, in a glass case."

"Is the glass case charmed?" Hermione cut in.

"Yes." Dawlish answered.

"How do we break the charm?" she asked breathlessly.

"I don't know." Dawlish responded, and Hermione locked anxious eyes with Draco.

"What is the charm, Dawlish?" Draco inquired in a strained voice.

"_Infrangible incantum" _came the reply, and Hermione closed her eyes.

"I know that counter charm...let me think..."

"Hurry!" Draco hissed, his eyes going from Dawlish to the door.

"Got it." She said as the words came to her. "Modify his memory, and let's get up there!" Draco waved his wand and muttered the words to vanish the glasses, and put the bottle of firewhiskey spiked with Veritserum back into his cloak. Then he pointed his wand at Dawlish's face and said

"Obliviate!" Dawlish's features went slack for a moment, and then a dreamy look came into his eyes. Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the office.

They headed for the stairs, hoping that the anxiety they were both feeling was not showing. Draco nodded at his father's acquaintances as they passed by, and then took Hermione's arm as they ascending the staircase.

_I should have asked Dawlish about Harry and Ron!_ Hermione thought angrily, feeling as though she were letting down her two best friends. She had to find out where they were, she would not let herself think that either one could actually be dead. Draco opened the door that led to the fifth floor, and looked at Hermione reassuringly.

"It's going to be okay." He said, rubbing her arm. "We're almost there..." They both looked around the empty hallway, searching for the Minister's office.

"Its not here!" Hermione whispered, starting to panic.

"Through here." Draco said, leading them through a doorway. The doorway opened up into yet another hallway, this one much grander and lined with many items displayed in cases and tapestries on the walls. They both moved toward the largest case, and Hermione raised her wand to say the words to break the charmed glass...

"Lucius! Cissy! To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" Bellatrix Lestrange stepped out of her office and stood in front of them and the Elder Wand. Hermione recoiled from her without thinking and pressed herself into Draco. Bellatrix stared at her for a moment, confused. Draco quickly put his arm around Hermione.

"Narcissa is not feeling her best today, Bella." He told her. "We were wondering if you had any of that healing potion left...to go to St. Mungo's is such a bother..." Bellatrix shrugged.

"It's here in my office. Cissy, you couldn't wait until later? I am in the middle of something..." From the office they heard a muffled shout that was strangely familiar. Hermione shook her head quickly.

"No, Bella. I thought that you might have some potion left, and as Lucius said, we don't want to waste time at St. Mungos. We won't take up too much of your time." They followed Bellatrix into her office, Hermione clutching her wand tightly. If it weren't for Draco beside her, she didn't know where her courage would have come from. A figure was huddled in the corner of the office, covering its face and moaning softly.

"What's this, Bella?" Draco asked casually. She smiled cruelly.

"He has secrets, and I will have them! You don't want to go back to Azkaban, do you?" She asked of the prisoner in a mock kind voice. The huddled figure did not respond.

"Answer me!" She screamed, her wild eyes flashing. She pointed her wand at him, and he looked up. Hermione gasped and almost dropped her wand. Crouched on Bellatrix's office floor, looking thin, beaten and completely defeated, was none other than Harry Potter.


	12. Reunion

**A/N Thank you all so much for the reviews! I love reading them, they are really motivating! :) Please enjoy this next chapter, and as always, let me know what you like/don't like/suggest. **

**I don't own Harry Potter, any of the characters, or storylines. If I did, my checking account might have a little more than its current $150 balance...:)**

Draco quickly steadied Hermione, and looked nervously at his aunt. Fortunately, she was so focused on her prey that she did not notice Hermione's reaction. In those moments, Hermione made a split second decision. She would not, _would not_, allow Bellatrix to hurt Harry any more, no matter what the consequences. She knew that on some level Draco could sense this, because gripped her arm tighter, as if in warning.

"Tell me how you defeated the Dark Lord! What powers do you have? Answer!" Bellatrix was screaming and red sparks were flying out of the end of her wand.

"Allow me, Bella." Draco said quietly, moving in front of her.

"Keep out of this, Lucius! You have no authority here!" Bellatrix aimed her wand at Draco now, looking quite deranged with anger. In that moment that she was distracted, Harry and Hermione moved at the same time. Harry rolled away, ducking behind her desk. Hermione reached forward, pointed her wand, and cried out "Perfectus Totalus!" The curse hit Bellatrix before the witch had a chance to react. Her body went rigid, and she fell to the floor, paralyzed. Draco pulled her wand out of her fingers and put in in his cloak.

"Harry!" Hermione cried out. "Oh, Harry..." She started to go to him, but Draco caught her and held her back.

"Wait...let me."

OOOooOOOoo

Draco approached Potter cautiously, not knowing how the latter would react to finding himself alone with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. He didn't want Potter to hurt Hermione. His initial thought was that Potter was in no shape to fight or harm anyone, but he had learned through the years never to underestimate the dark haired wizard.

"Potter?" He asked, stopping in front of him. Harry looked at Draco with undisguised hatred and disgust on his face.

"What do you want, Malfoy? Now that the Minister is incapacitated, do you plan to take over?"

Draco chuckled. "Not a bad idea, but I've got better things to do with my time. Can you stand?" Harry looked confused, but slowly got to his feet. Hermione pushed past Draco and threw herself in her friends arms.

"You're alive! Oh, Harry, you're alive!" She was sobbing as she clutched him. Harry patted her back awkwardly for a moment, and then set her away from him.

"Look, I don't know what's going here..."

"We have to find the Elder Wand and get the hell out of here." Draco cut in quickly. "We only have about twenty minutes left."

"And you think I'm going to help you with that?" Harry let go of Hermione and glared at Draco.

"Harry, its me! Hermione! We're under Polyjuice Potion..." Instead of embracing her, Harry turned his ferocious glower to her and laughed harshly.

"Nice try. You think I haven't been in Azkaban long enough to recognize a mind-fuck when I see one? Go ahead, torture me, kill me...I'd welcome death! But I'll never help you death eater scum."

"No Harry, it really is me!" Hermione cried out desperately. He sneered and turned to Draco.

"Oh let me guess...you're really my best mate Ron! No wait, my godfather Sirious!" His face hardened and a look crossed his haunted features that Hermione had never seen before. "Well, newsflash, scum, they're all DEAD."

"Just stun him and take him along with us." Draco muttered. "You can convince him later..."

"Harry, please!" Hermione pleaded, ignoring Draco. "Ask me something, anything, that only Hermione would know!" Harry shook his head, exasperated.

"Okay, fine, I'll play along. What's the first thing Hermione said to me when we met? What was her favorite book to quote that I never got around to reading? What was the only spell she had trouble with? What did she discover in our second year? Why should I not get her mad at me? What spell did she use the only time she hexed me? What did she see the time she was face to face with a boggart? What did she say the first time we kissed?" He fired these questions at her, shouting, pain evident in his voice. At the last one, he narrowed his green eyes again and turned away, shoulders shaking.

Voice cracking with emotion, tears running down her face, Hermione answered in a quiet voice.

"We met on the train, I asked you if you had seen a toad because a boy named Neville had lost one. You never read Hogwarts, A History even though it would have helped you tremendously. I wouldn't say I have _trouble_ with it, but I'll never be able to cast a Patronus as quickly as you can. I found out that it was a Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. You shouldn't get my temper up because I might just conjure some yellow canaries and set them on you. I hit you with a Stinging Jinx so the Snatchers wouldn't recognize you. My boggart was in third year, and it was Professor McGonagal saying that I'd failed all my classes. And Harry...we've never kissed, it wasn't like that between us."

Draco, who had been waiting impatiently to continue their mission, had been dreading the answer to Harry's last question. He smiled in relief at Hermione's answer, and quickly disguised it by gesturing to her that they needed to hurry. Harry turned to face Hermione, tears of disbelief rolling down his cheeks.

"But...how..." He whispered. "I saw you...I saw Lucius Malfoy curse you...right after Draco ran from the grounds..." She shook her head and held out her arms. This time, he did wrap his own around her and held her close.

"I wasn't dead, Harry. He kept me prisoner in the manor. It wasn't easy for me, but I survived. Draco helped me." She reached behind her and touched Draco's arm. Harry looked up, a question on his face. Draco nodded.

"Yeah, its me, Potter. You'll have to forgive me for not giving you a big hug, too." Harry laughed, and for a moment he looked like his old self.

"So, are you two going to clue me in on what the plan is?"

"About time you asked." Draco said, and possessively pulled Hermione back to him. He quickly explained his theory about the Elder Wand, and Harry confirmed his thoughts with a nod.

"I did sort of find it strange that I got all those wands away from you so easily. I saw the Elder Wand, in a glass case down the hall a little way...I saw it when she was bringing me here." He gestured toward the motionless Bellatrix on the floor. "She thinks I have some kind of power that allowed me to kill Voldemort. That's the only reason I'm still alive."

"Well, in that case, I'll let you do the honors." Draco reached into his cloak and took out the wand that he had taken from Bellatrix. He handed it to Harry, who took it eagerly.

"Thanks. Haven't had a wand in months..." His fingers closed around it and he closed his eyes for a second. Then he looked down at Bellatrix, pointed his wand at her, and murmured "Obliviate!" Belltrix's eyes, which had been wildly going from person to person as she followed their conversation, went blank. Harry stunned her next, and then kicked her behind her desk. "There, that ought to keep this piece of shit out of the way for a while." The three of them left the office, Harry concealing the wand and Draco clasping Harry by the scruff of his neck as if he having captured him. Hermione closed the door and sealed it behind them.

They neared the glass case housing the Elder Wand. Hermione felt her heart pounding and anxiety mounting. They were so near their goal...

A sudden noise at the opposite end of the hall startled them. A man stepped out of the stairway door, followed by another. Yaxley faced them, and a slow smile crossed his hard features.

"Well, well, well." A shockingly familiar voice drawled from behind Yaxley. "What do we have here?" Yaxley stepped aside, never taking his eyes off of them, and Lucius Malfoy moved into their view.

**Sorry about yet another cliffhanger...will update soon! (within the next 48 hours) hope you are enjoying reading this story as much as I am writing it! :) Please review!**


	13. The Battle Begins

Lucius Malfoy assessed them coldly, a cruel smile on his face. "It's a shame that your skills were never put to the right use, Draco."

Hermione looked around wildly, searching in vain for an escape. As if seeing what she was thinking, Lucius threw his head back and laughed. At that moment, more death eaters apparated into the opposite side of the hallway, blocking their exit.

"I must say," Lucius continued, "Having you while you look like my wife will certainly be interesting." He leered at her and moved closer. Draco let go of Harry and both of them stepped in front of Hermione, wands drawn.

"How did you escape from the cellar?" Draco asked harshly. Lucius shrugged and held both of his hands out to his sides.

"Never underestimate the power of an obedient woman, _son_. She used your little stash of Polyjuice Potion to turn into you, fooled the wards, and set me free. Of course, she made me make a Vow first that I wouldn't harm you or your little Mudblood." Hermione looked at Draco, feeling surprised that Narcissa had tried to protect her. The more she considered it, it started to make sense to her. No matter her other faults, Narcissa loved her son. She knew that Draco had feelings for Hermione, and she didn't want her son to be unhappy. She felt a feeling of relief spread through her. Maybe they could get out of this after all...

She felt immediately disheartened when she saw Draco's expression. It had not changed, and he had not lowered his wand.

"However..." Lucius continued, "even though I am a man of my word and will not harm either of you, I can make no guarantees for Yaxley's behavior." He clasped his fellow on the back, and that seemed to be the signal the death eaters were waiting for. They all raised their wands simultaneously, and curses were suddenly flying from both directions. Hermione whirled to block the spells coming from behind them, her wand twirling and weaving so fast that it was a blur. She heard a cry of pain from her back, but could not stop fighting to see who was hurt. Tapestries and artifacts, hit by various curses and spells, were flying off of the walls and into death eaters and Herimone, Harry, and Draco alike. This gave Hermione an idea, but she had no way to communicate it to Harry and Draco without the death eaters hearing.

"Draco!" She said as loud as she dared.

"What?" He called back, and then, "Potter's hurt!" At that, Hermione cast what she hoped was a strong enough shield charm and turned around. Harry had fallen to the floor and was bleeding, but was still firing curses. Draco was alternating between diving in front of Harry and holding off his own opponents. Hermione felt an instant rush of emotions...relief that Draco was unhurt and fear for the condition of her best friend. "Hermione, take Potter and apparate out of here!" Draco shouted. "I don't know how much longer I can hold them off.."

"I won't leave you here!" Hermione cried, narrowly missing a curse as it hissed by, singing her hair. She quickly fired another one back, and was rewarded with the death eater clutching his stomach and dropping to the floor. "Quickly, cover them with the tapestries! I've got a shield charm on the ones behind us, but I'm not sure how long it will hold. We only need a minute to get to the wand..." Draco nodded, and sent all of the fallen tapestries flying through the air. In a moment, they had covered the death eaters, who were immediately distracted. Hermione pointed her wand at the undamaged glass case and screamed the words to break the enchantment. The glass shattered at the same time that the death eaters at the other end of the hall broke through her shield charm. From the floor, Harry gasped out a spell that sent the broken glass shards flying like thousands of shiny missiles back at the death eaters. Their curses went awry as they raised their hands to protect their heads and cast their own shield. "Now, Draco!" Hermione screamed as the other group of death eaters shrugged off the tapestries and raised their wands to curse the trio.

"You're finished, you blood traitor scum!" Lucius Malfoy's voice cut through the din. "You're no son of mine!" Hermione saw that he was standing back, leaning against the wall as he "honored" his vow to his wife.

"Accio Elder Wand!" Draco called out, raising his hand to catch the stick of wood that was their only chance. The wand flew into his outstretched hand almost instantly, and a slow smile crossed his face. "Protego!" he cried, and a shield charm stronger than any Hermione had ever seen or felt enveloped them.

"Let's go, let's go!" Hermione screamed, bending to grasp Harry, who appeared to have reached the end of his strength and was fighting to remain conscious. But Draco wasn't finished yet. He locked eyes with his father and shouted "Confrigo!" The walls around them collapsed as the blasting spell hit them, windows in offices shattered like bomb blasts. Hermione's last view was the death eaters falling under white clouds of plaster as bits of ceiling rained down on them. Draco wrapped an arm around her tightly and twisted in midair as the floor underneath their feet disintegrated. She was dimly aware of Draco continuing to shout out curses as they apparated away from the collapsing headquarters of the Ministry.

**A/N Once again, thank you all so much for the reviews! Sorry about the short chapter, but I wanted to finish this part! :) Will update soon...**


	14. The Lure of Power

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any of the other characters, or plot lines.**_

Hermione quickly looked to Harry as soon as she felt herself reappear. Without taking the time to assess her surroundings, she pulled the bottle of dittany out of her robes. She was dimly aware that they were in a wooded area, and Draco now looked like himself again. Harry reached up for her, his eyes half closed and rolling back into his head.

"Hermione...it really is you...so glad..."

"Shh, don't talk." Hermione said gently. She located the deep wound on his leg, and poured the essence of dittany over it. The healing potion bubbled and fizzed over the gash for a moment, and then dissolved. Horrified, Hermione watched helplessly as blood continued to pour from the injury.

"It's a curse wound, looks like Sectum Sempra." Draco said from over her shoulder. "Dittany won't touch it."

"I don't know the counter curse to that spell!" Hermione cried in fear. "Harry, Harry wake up! Do you know how to heal this?" But Harry had passed out and lay on the ground unresponsive. Draco put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know how to fix this." He said quietly. "Potter used that spell on me once, I remember what Snape did to cure me..." He leaned over Harry and waved the Elder Wand by the wound, murmuring what sounded to Hermione like a song. The blood stopped instantly, and the skin began to knit itself back together. Within moments, Harry's leg was healed and it looked as though the lesion had never been there. Draco stood back and looked at his handiwork. "Nice." He said, impressed. "There won't even be a scar. Okay, Potter, that makes us even." He held the wand over Harry again and muttered "Ennuverate!" Harry opened his eyes, sat up, and then got to his feet.

"Thanks." He said, addressing Hermione. She shook her head and indicated Draco.

"Draco saved you, Harry. I was panicking and I didn't know the counter spell for that curse." Harry stared at his former enemy, a question on his face. Draco explained what he had been doing since the war, what had happened to Hermione (Harry's face darkened and he gripped his own wand angrily), and how they had come to the conclusion that Draco was still the Elder Wand's master. He left out the details of his relationship with Hermione, and she supposed that this was due to the fact that Harry had heard enough for the time being. At least, she hoped that was the reason.

Harry nodded, and held out his hand to Draco. After a moment of hesitation, Draco shook it. Hermione clasped both of their hands and smiled. "With all of us on the same side, the death eaters don't stand a chance."

"If there's any death eaters left." Draco said, grinning. "In case you didn't notice, I destroyed the ministry and hopefully took some of them down, too." He stared at the wand in his hand with reverence. "This is incredible." He pulled Hermione to him and hugged her close. "You were incredible. The way you held off that group behind us, and came up with the idea to throw the tapestries on them..." Hermione reddened and looked at the ground.

"Well, we were fighting for our lives..."

"Don't downplay it, Hermione." Harry spoke up, looking confused at Hermione's ease at being held by Draco. "If you hadn't known the charm to break the glass, none of us would be here."

"I just meant that it was a team effort." She mumbled, still feeling embarrassed. To change the subject, she looked around them and asked Draco, "Where are we?"

"We're in the Forest of Dean." Draco said, now rubbing his free hand up and down her arm. "It was the first place that came to mind."

"So, what's the plan?" Hermione asked. "I was thinking that we should try to free the prisoners in Azkaban...maybe Ron..." Her voice choked up, and she looked to Harry with a question in her eyes. He looked helplessly back at her, unable to give her the answer she needed.

"I don't know if he's there...the Dementors don't let us communicate with each other...might give us hope, happiness..." He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.

"Oh Harry." Hermione went to him and embraced him. "You didn't deserve that, to be in that horrible place. Nobody does. If you can't go back there...we understand." Harry looked up and shook his head.

"Now that I have a wand, things are different. I'm looking forward to giving it back to those Dementors and setting everyone else in there free. Every minute I'm away from that nightmare, its like...I'm coming back to myself or something. We need a plan, though. I can't help too much with the interior of the place because I never saw anything but the inside of my cell..."

"Who needs a plan?" Draco interrupted, sounding like his arrogant former self. "This is all the plan we need." He held up the Elder Wand. "You both did see the Ministry fall, right? Let's just get over there and kick some serious arse!" As if to echo his thoughts, the wand let out a series of blue/green sparks, making Harry and Hermione jump back.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a quick, worried look.

"Draco, we can't just charge in there and start blasting everything!" Hermione reasoned. "There's innocent people in there, people on our side!" Draco shrugged and waved her concerns away.

"I think its safe to say that I can declare myself the Minister now. No one would dare challenge me and Caliburn here." He swept the arm that was holding the Elder Wand in a wide, slow arc.

"Caliburn?" Harry asked. Without taking her eyes off of Draco, Hermione answered.

"Its a word derived from the Welsh name for King Arthur's sword, Excalibur. It means "battle hard" and "steel." "

"And you thought I knew nothing about Muggles." Draco's grin widened, and he cried out, "Watch this!" He raised Caliburn in the air, and was instantly transported upward. "I don't even need a broom to fly!"

"Malfoy, get down here!" Harry yelled. "Don't let that thing get to your head, how do you think it got its reputation for leaving "a bloody trail scattered across the pages of wizarding history?" We've got a job to do, you've got to stay focused!"

"Or what, Potter? You'll disarm me?" Draco laughed as he landed gracefully back on the ground in front of them. "Go ahead, give it a go." His voice was friendly and joking, but his eyes had taken on a cold, calculating look.

"Stop it!" Hermione cried, stepping between them. "Draco, if this is what that wand is going to do to you, we need to get rid of it! I think it has too much evil energy in it! Please, just put it down for a little while so that you can think clearly!"

Draco looked at her with an expression of disbelief. "Are you serious? After all that we just went through, you want me _to get rid of it_? "

"Do what you want, Malfoy." Harry said angrily. "Thanks for saving me and all, but I see you haven't really changed much. Go ahead, take over the wizarding world. But do it without my help."

Draco shrugged. "Suit yourself, Potter. Guess you can thank us later for saving your best mate. Maybe I'll even be nice and help you out of prison too, because that's right where you're going to end up again if you go off on your own."

Harry clutched his wand tightly, but didn't raise it. Instead he turned to Hermione. "What does he mean "you can thank _us_?" What's going on between you two, anyway? Hermione, we don't need his help, his attitude will get us all killed! Are you coming?"

**A/N uh oh! Looks like Draco is intoxicated by the power of the wand...or is it something more sinister? What will Hermione do? Look for an update soon! (within 48 hours) :) Keep the reviews coming and thank you to all the people who have reviewed, alerted, and favorited so far!**


	15. Divide and Conquer

**A/N As always, thank you for the reviews! I love reading each one :) Sorry that this update took a little longer than promised, but here you go...**

_**Disclaimer**_**...I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters.**

Hermione closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening, fate had seemed to be turning in their favor. They had gotten the Elder Wand, escaped from the Ministry (and destroyed it in the process), and thwarted Lucius's plans. And now...she opened her eyes and looked from Draco to Harry. Both were facing each other angrily.

"She's coming with me, Potter." Draco sneered. "In case you missed it, we're together now. Deal with it, or don't deal with it. It doesn't matter to me." A look of horror crossed Harry's face, and he gaped at Hermione, waiting for her to refute Draco's words. When she didn't, he turned away from her.

"What the hell, Hermione?" He faced her again, face splotchy with emotion. "So while Ron is rotting away in some jail cell..or worse...you take up with this prat? _With Malfoy_? Have you lost your mind?"

Immediately, Hermione felt her own temper rise to the surface. Her emotions, which had been kept suppressed for months, exploded from her in one burst. Wand outstretched, she advanced on Harry, who wisely took a step back.

"How dare you, Harry Potter!" She screamed, and red sparks shot out of the end of her wand. "Do you think you're the only one who's suffered? Draco isn't what he used to be, this war has changed us all! Ron is my friend, just as you are, why do you think we're planning to break into Azkaban?

And its really none of your business who I "take up with!" Draco was watching with amusement until Hermione turned toward him, fire in her eyes.

"And you! If you want me to go anywhere with you, you had better put that wand down for a few minutes so that you can think clearly! Don't you see what it's doing to you? If you don't..." she turned back to Harry, "and if you don't stop being so judgmental...I'll go to Azkaban by myself and you both can curse each other into oblivion for all I care!" With a final fierce glare at both of them, she stormed off into the forest.

Without looking at each other, Draco and Harry immediately ran after her. "Hermione..." Draco faced her, his eyes anguished. He could feel the hold this wand had over him. It had told him its name, given him its allegiance...and yet...he sensed that he was turning into his father. Turning into someone he hated and had vowed he would never be like. A person who would do anything, sacrifice anything and anybody, for a little bit of power. He knew what he had to do. Caliburn seemed to sense his reluctance, and the need for domination spread all through his body. "No..." Draco gasped, wanting to fight this feeling but not being sure how. "I..won't...allow...this..."

Finally, he wrenched his arm toward her and handed her Caliburn. He stepped back, head in his hands, moaning slightly.

"Guess you have changed a little bit, Malfoy." Harry said, clearly surprised by his actions. "You okay?" Draco nodded his head and ran his fingers through his hair

"Yeah...give me a minute.."

Hermione felt a surge of power run through her like an electric shock the moment her fingers touched Caliburn. It was intoxicating, and she felt almost light headed. And yet...she could sense that the wand was teasing her, just giving her a mere glimpse of the incredible power that could belong to her alone...all she had to do was put a little body bind curse on Draco, pluck his own wand from his hand, and Caliburn would be hers. Yes...why should a Slytherin possess such a powerful, amazing object? This would be Griffindor's victory, a way for them to reclaim what was rightfully theirs...as if to illustrate this point, Caliburn began to glow a very soft but distinct gold, the color of Griffindor. She looked up a Draco and smiled. It would be so easy...so effortless...and she, Hermione Granger, the oppressed Mudblood, would be the master of the world's most powerful wand...Hermione raised it and pointed it at Draco.

"Hermione! No!" Harry shouted, aware of what she was going to do. Before he could make another move, she quickly stunned him, and felt immense satisfaction as he fell to the ground. Draco's eyes widened in horror, but he held up his hand to defend himself, rather than his wand. Hermione was dimly aware in some corner of her mind that he wasn't even going to try to curse her, wouldn't raise his wand to her. _It will make this so much easier._ She thought, opening her mouth to speak the words and reaching for his wand at the same time. Caliburn vibrated in her hand, spurring her on, letting its own excitement merge with her own...Draco's eyes closed and he lowered his hand, accepting his fate...

**This can't be good! The Elder Wand seems to have a mind of its own! Will Hermione be strong enough to resist? Will update soon...review, review, review!**


	16. Taming Caliburn

Hermione threw the wand away from her and jumped back from it, breathing heavy. She and Draco eyed it with trepidation, but it lay there on the ground twinkling innocently green and gold.

"Oh Merlin, Harry!" She quickly pointed her own wand at him and reversed the Stunning Spell. Harry jumped to his feet, rubbing his sore backside.

"Been a long time since you were able to take me by surprise like that, 'Mione." He said ruefully.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Hermione cried, feeling shame course through her, effectively erasing any lingering effects of the lure of Caliburn's power. Harry shrugged.

"It wasn't your fault...I don't think, anyway." He, too, eyed the wand. "It's picked up some tricks since I had it."

"That thing is seriously evil." Hermione spoke with determination in her voice. "The way it made me feel...what it almost convinced me to do..." She went to Draco and put her arms around him. He pulled her close to him and rubbed her back.

"I know, it was trying to convince me that if I was just rid of you two, I would be unstoppable...but..."

"Your love was stronger." Harry finished for him. "Maybe that's how Dumbledore was able to resist, I mean, he had it longer than anyone, right?"

Hermione nodded. "He always said that love was the strongest power, and don't forget, he was an immensely powerful wizard."

"But why didn't it do this to you?" Draco asked Harry. "When you had it, you seemed to be in control of yourself!" Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, I could definitely feel it urging me to kill Voldemort, but I just thought that was what I was supposed to do..everything we had been fighting for had led up to that moment and..."

"Any one of us would have finished him if we'd had the opportunity." Hermione interrupted. "I don't think it was the wand at all. Maybe you're just stronger than it, Harry. Or maybe it sensed that you would be able to resist."

"What are you saying?" Draco questioned. "That Potter should pick it up? That he's safe?" Harry shook his head.

"After seeing what happened to you two, I'm not going near that thing. But we can't just leave it here, anybody have an idea?"

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Well, love seems to be the only thing that can resist it. Why don't we try combining all of our powers together and hit it with all of the "love" and positive thoughts we've got? Kind of like trying to conjure a Patronus..." She looked to Harry and Draco to see what they thought of her idea.

"Brilliant." Draco said, kissing the top of her hair.

"She never disappoints." Harry exclaimed proudly. Hermione blushed and smiled at them.

"Okay, on three..." They all picked up their wands, and at a nod from Hermione, touched the tips to the Elder Wand. Hermione closed her eyes and focused all of her positive energy, her love for Draco, her friendship with Harry and Ron, and her desire to see the Wizarding World at peace into her wand hand. She could almost feel the warmth travel through her hand, into her wand, and flow calmly into Caliburn. It felt circular to her, as though she were connected to the Elder Wand, to Harry and Draco, to all of the love radiating from them all.

"I think we did it." Draco said, and Hermione opened her eyes.

"Well, there's only one way to check. You're still its master, Draco." He looked at the wand on the ground nervously and took a deep breath.

"Okay...but if it does something to me, stun me quickly. Don't wait." He handed his wand to Harry, who nodded at him.

"We're ready, Malfoy. Go ahead." Draco reached tentatively toward Caliburn, and then closed his fingers on it. Harry and Hermione pointed their wands at him, hands steady and hearts pounding. A smile crossed Draco's face, but it was surprised and pleased rather than calculating and cold.

"Its okay!" He announced. "I mean, I can still feel all that power this thing has, but its "under" all that love we just poured into it. It won't control me again." Hermione lowered her wand and beamed at him, but Harry didn't move.

"Are you sure, Malfoy? Not tricking us, are you?" Draco shook his head, still smiling.

"Here Potter, close your eyes and open your mind...if you can, that is." He looked over at Hermione. "I picked up a little legilimency from my time with the Death Eaters." He spoke the spell, and projected his thoughts and feelings into Harry's mind. It only took a few seconds, and when Harry opened his eyes, he seemed convinced. He lowered his wand and clapped Draco on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Malfoy. I appreciate that...and I'm glad to know that you really, truly love Hermione." Hermione reached out and touched Draco's cheek.

"You never told me you could do that!"

"You never asked." He replied cheekily.

"Well, now that we all trust each other, let's talk about Azkaban.." Harry interjected, bringing the light atmosphere immediately back to one of solemnity.

OoooOOOoo

A cold wind blew as the three people stood on the shore, facing a dismal looking island. A bleak mist was settled over the island, obscuring any view of the infamous prison. Every now and then, a blurry black figure could be seen emerging from the fog, gliding around it, and then disappearing back within its depths.

Harry shivered at this sight, and Hermione reached for his hand and squeezed it. She knew that it must be difficult for him to be this close to the prison again, and so near the dreaded Dementors. He squeezed back and tried to smile at her, letting her know that he was strong enough to do this, brave enough for this mission. As if she had ever doubted him. Draco turned away from the island in the distance and faced Hermione.

"I don't suppose it would do any good to ask you to stay here." She glanced at him, and then stroked his arm.

"Thank you for asking, but no, it won't do you any good."

"I could've told you that, Malfoy." Harry muttered. "She may be brilliant, but she's bloody stubborn."

"I wouldn't call it that." Draco smiled down at her. "She's loyal, strong, and brave. Not to mention sexy as hell."

Hermione giggled in spite of herself and their surroundings. She leaned up to kiss Draco and murmured against him "You're not so bad yourself.."

Harry rolled his eyes and gestured toward the island.

"Okay, can you two have this conversation later? Preferably in private? It doesn't make the job any easier the longer we stand here."

Reluctantly, Hermione pulled herself away from Draco and faced the island again. "You're right Harry, sorry. Just trying to give our Patronus's some more ammunition..."

"Well, if that's the case.." Draco said, and clasped her against him for a more lengthy kiss. Harry threw up his hands in exasperation. "Okay, okay. Don't get your shorts in a bunch, Potter. I'd be willing to bet that if a certain red haired girl is in there, you won't be so high and mighty." Harry and Hermione both smiled to themselves at the thought of seeing Ginny again, and this seemed to be the signal that the mission before them should get started. Catching hold of Draco on either side, they Apparated on to the outer banks of Azkaban Island.

Almost immediately, a damp chill settled itself over them. Hermione felt a grave sadness rising within her, and all of a sudden memories from the war and her time at Malfoy Manor came rushing back at the forefront of her mind. Harry, too, was affected and sank to his knees under the weight of his painful recollections. Not wanting to cast a Patronus just yet and give their positions away, Draco raised Caliburn and cast a powerful shield charm over them. Instantly, the chill disappeared and the memories retreated.

"Thank you." Hermione breathed. "We might as well get used to that, when we get inside its going to be so much worse..."

"Well, this will help." Draco indicated the Elder Wand. He had lost his arrogance about it, and stared at the dark, quiet fortress before them. "Ready?"

"Yes." Harry answered, and all together, they walked around the perimeter of the castle, searching for a way inside.

**Next up...inside Azkaban!**


	17. Azkaban

He didn't know if it was day or night, and he was beyond the point of caring. The memories assailed him day and night, and he was lost in them. At first, he had tried to fight—taunting the dementors, clinging to the faces of his friends and family, trying to call out to the other prisoners. The dementors had patiently waited him out, and eventually his taunts turned into whimpers and the faces that he had depended on for solace haunted him as he saw their deaths replayed over and over. He spent his hours huddled in his cell, feeling every bit of resistance and human emotion slowly being siphoned out of him. That he didn't belong here, the fact that he had committed no crime, mattered less and less each day until he couldn't remember who he was anymore. He could sense the excitement from his captors, and in some hollow recess of his brain he knew that they were eagerly awaiting his death. Waiting to savor his last, desperate moments and feed off of them as long as they could. It would be the final dessert in their never ending feast of screaming emotions and lost souls.

The only shard of hope he had left was that his next breath would be his last.

OoooOOooOO

Hermione was thankful for the protection of the Elder Wand as they crept through the silent passages of the fortress. The quiet was unnerving, and her nerves were on edge as she expected an attack at any moment. Getting in had been eerily simple, but then again, she supposed that no one in their right mind would enter this place willingly. Harry was shaking beside her, but his wand hand was steady as he held it before him.

"It doesn't look like any prisoners are in this corridor." Draco whispered, his voice making her jump. She nodded quickly.

"Let's try to find the way up to the next floor."

Harry pointed to their right. "I thought I saw a set of stairs over there." Quickly, they made their way through an arch and up the dark stairs. Hermione knew that every moment was crucial, as soon as the dementors sensed their presence, they would have almost no time to free the prisoners and get out. A closed door emerged out of the dim light as they neared the top of the stairs. Harry pushed on it, and then shook his head.

"Locked." He touched his wand to the knob and muttered, "_Alohomora!_" and the door sprang open with a faint click. They all listened intently, but could hear nothing from beyond the door. Hermione's every instinct was telling her to turn back, not go through that door into the dark corridor it had unearthed. She felt an immediate rush of shame, and knew that her friends were possibly being held prisoner here, people she knew were suffering. Swallowing hard, she strengthened her resolve and followed Harry as he stepped over the threshold.

"_Lumos_." They all whispered at the same time, and the light from all four wands (Draco was holding both the Elder Wand and his original wand in one hand) illuminated the passage.

A creeping cold seemed to envelope them immediately. Harry gasped and leaped back, and Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. Her mind was flooded with horrible memories, things she had repressed and tried to forget. She saw Lucius's cold, calculating eyes ordering her to perform unspeakable acts, the suffering cold she had endured at the Manor, she felt the horror of the Cruciatus Curse, saw her comrades injured on the battlefield...

"No..." She murmured, holding her head and trying to push the images away. They were forefront in her mind, taking her over, there was no escape...

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Draco's strong voice cut through the fog of blackness. Hermione mustered the strength to turn to him, and clutched on to his free arm for support. She saw Caliburn raised high in the air, and from its tip sprang a glowing white form. As it landed gracefully on the ground before them, the white aura quickly took on a familiar shape.

A beautiful phoenix spread its wings in front of the trio, and as it did, Hermione felt warmth speed through her in a pleasant rush. She breathed in deeply, and the horrible memories fled back into the protected recesses of her mind. Beside her, Harry was also catching his breath, and then summoned his own Patronus. The majestic stag joined the phoenix, and together they created a safe passage through the corridor. Hermione saw Dementors falling back, clutching the sides of the hallway with their scabbed claw-like hands as they tried to escape the Patronuses. Draco frantically moved his wand hand all around them, not allowing any Dementors to sneak through their protection.

The passage widened, and the dark walls revealed bars. Hermione turned her lit wand at them, trying to see if anyone was inside. A low moan greeted her as the light reached the cell's inhabitant. A ragged figure was huddled on the dirty stone floor, hands raised to the light.

"Help...me..please.." the voice called out. Without wasting another moment, Hermione touched her wands tip to the bars.

"_Alohormora!_" She cried out, but nothing happened. Harry joined her, spoke the blasting spell, and pulled them both away. The bars still remained untouched.

"Let me." Draco pushed his way over, and raised Caliburn. He yelled the unlocking spell, and then swept the Elder Wand around his head and down the hall. Streaks of gold and white light came out of the end of the wand and ricocheted around the hall. Instantly, the metallic grating sound of hundreds of metal bars moving at once met their ears.

"It worked!" Harry cried out, and ran toward the nearest cell. Draco cast the Patronus charm again, enveloping the open cells with warmth and all of the positive emotions he could muster in this horrible place. Skeletal figures began slowly emerging from the dim openings, rubbing their eyes and gaping in horror. Harry came out of the cell he had entered, supporting a small form. Hermione didn't have time to register who it was. She ran up and down the corridor, checking each cell to make sure that its prisoner could get up on their own.

"Draco, do you think there are more prisoners on different floors?" She called to him in desperation.

"Probably!" He called back, and then cast the unlocking charm again, casting the streaks of light at the ceiling, walls, and floor. "That should do it.." He said breathlessly.

"I'll go look for more people!" Harry shouted. "Hermione, take care of her..." He let go of the form he had been holding on to and Hermione immediately placed her arms around the frail figure.

"Potter, be careful!" Draco shouted. "Those fiends are all over this place!"

"I'm okay now." Harry reassured him. "She's alive...that's all I need for my Patronus.." Hermione looked at the person she was holding on to, and felt a shock when she saw a patch of red hair shining through the grime.

"Ginny..." She whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Oh, Ginny..."

"I'll be okay...I'm okay now.." Ginny's voice was cracked and weak, as if she had not used it in a very long time. Harry brushed his hand over her cheek, and then disappeared down the corridor. Hermione heard him cast his Patronus in a strong, confident voice as he vanished from their sight.

"Hermione, we've got to free these people and get out of here...they know what we're doing and they're seriously pissed..." Draco called out from behind her. "Don't know how much longer I can hold them off..."

"Can you hold a wand?" Hermione asked Ginny. She looked up at Hermione incredulously.

"A wand...do you have one? Oh Merlin, to have a wand again..." Her thin fingers clenched and unclenched with her desire to be able to defend herself again.

"Draco, toss me your other wand!" Hermione cried, and then caught it as it came flying at her. She handed it to Ginny, who took it gratefully. She looked at Hermione with confusion on her face.

"Did you just get this wand from _Malfoy_? What's he doing here?" Hermione smiled at her.

"No time to explain now, but he's with us." Ginny nodded and didn't question Hermione further. She turned her attention to helping the other prisoners, both girls crying out in relief and sadness as they recognized various friends and family members.

The roar of Dementors gliding by them filled the corridor. Their black cloaks spread out before them, and Hermione shrieked as the corner of one actually brushed her face. She raised her wand and tried to cast her Patronus, but it wouldn't come. Then she felt Draco's strong, warm hand on her shoulder.

"You can do it, 'Mione." She heard the affection in his voice, and focused on it as she calmly cast the spell again. She knew she was successful when the white light came out of her wand and she waited for it to take the familiar shape of her otter. She gasped in surprise as instead of the otter, another, slightly smaller phoenix rose gracefully in the air and flew to join Draco's. Together, the two birds went after the Dementors and sent them flying back down the way they had come.

Hermione turned to Draco, tears in her eyes again.

"My patronus...it changed!"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a close embrace. "So did mine, it used to be a snake."

"I wonder why that happened..." Hermione wondered, smiling.

"Okay, I don't know what I'm missing, but we are in the middle of Azkaban, and I for one would like to leave as soon as possible!" Ginny cut in.

"Sorry." Hermione murmured, her face red. All of the prisoners on that floor had gathered together, stronger ones supporting the weaker ones.

"Okay, " Draco said, taking charge. "Everyone join hands, we've all got to be linked together so that we can apparate out of here..."

"It won't work." came a weak voice that Hermione recognized as Minerva McGonnagal. "Side-along Apparation only works for one passenger.." Draco smiled at her.

"Maybe those are the rules for regular wands, but trust me, Caliburn can get us all out of here." Professor McGonnagal looked confused, but closed her eyes and didn't say anything more. At that moment, Harry came bursting back into the corridor, a crowd of people behind him.

"I've checked all over, this is all of them! But we need to get back up there, there's one more cell, Dementors all around it, couldn't get near it!" He gasped out breathlessly.

"Potter, stay here...c'mon Hermione!" Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her away. Harry nodded and joined Ginny. Both of them raised their wands, faces set with determination, as if daring a dementor to come near them. Draco and Hermione headed the way Harry had come from, and found a set of stairs. Quickly they climbed them and ran through the open door. They found themselves in a dank stone corridor, much like the one below them. All of the cell doors hung silently open, and there were no sounds except the dripping of water.

"There." Hermione pointed to the end of the passage. A large group of dementors were clustered around an open cell, and their gliding movements were quick and excited. They seemed distracted, and did not notice Hermione and Draco as they silently approached.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Hermione's shrill voice shattered the oppressing silence, and the dementors scattered as her phoenix bore down on them. "Draco, what's in there?" she asked, fear rising in her throat. The very air felt wrong as they moved toward the open cell.

"I don't know..." He sounded nervous too as he reached for her hand again. Nothing could have prepared either one of them for the sight that greeted them. A motionless figure was sprawled out on the floor. Hermione gasped in horror and recognition as she saw the dirty red hair.

"No...No!" She cried out, tears falling freely. She pulled Draco with her into the cell, and then fell upon the prone body. "Ron...no!" She raised her wet, stricken face to Draco. "We were too late!"

**A/N So sorry about the cliffie, but this felt like a good place to end this chapter. Will update soon.**


	18. Saved

**A/N Sorry about ending the last chapter on such a big cliffhanger, but hopefully I've updated soon enough to make up for it! :) Thank you for all of the reviews and positive comments, I'm so glad that everyone is enjoying the story. As usual, I don't own Harry Potter, any of the characters, or storylines.** **Oh, and for all of the Ron fans who have written, please don't give up hope just yet...**

Draco stared down at Weasley's body in horror. He wanted to comfort Hermione, but he didn't know what to say. He couldn't fix this, not even Caliburn could bring a dead person back to life. The wand had been infallible so far, allowing them to destroy the Ministry, free all of the prisoners of Azkaban, and hold off the Dementors, but now he was at a loss. He had known from the moment that they had entered the dark fortress that the odds of saving every single person were against them, but to see someone he had known, someone who had helped to save his life, laying before him in this manner was shocking. He lowered Caliburn and looked away. He reached down to touch Hermione, but felt her stiffen. He withdrew his hand and turned to leave the cell.

"I'm s..sorry D..Draco." Hermione sobbed. "It's not you...I just can't stand to see him like this...we can't leave him here...oh Ron..."

"We won't leave him." Draco said with determination. He could accomplish this feat, no matter how little difference it would make. Having a course of action made him feel stronger and he turned back and knelt by Hermione and the body. He softly spoke the charm that would make Weasley feather-light, and picked him up gently.

"Th...thank you Draco." Hermione murmured, tears freely streaming down her cheeks. She made no move to brush them away.

Draco stared at Weasley's face. While it was definitely pale, it didn't seem the correct shade for a dead body. He had seen enough death during that horrible year that Voldemort had been occupying his house to know. He quickly placed Weasley down again on the stone floor and touched Caliburn to his forehead. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked, and he heard the strained hope in her voice. She reached down and took Ron's wrist, feeling for a pulse. Draco shook his head and closed his eyes.

"All might not be lost yet..." Focusing all of his magic, all of his healing abilities, all of his strength into Caliburn, Draco murmured the words. "Rennurverate!" Nothing happened. Hermione moaned with frustration and grief.

"Try it again, Draco! Here, let me help.." She closed her hand over his and touched her own wand to Caliburn. "I thought I felt a pulse. It was faint, and faltering, but there..." They blended their magic together and spoke the resuscitation spell again. There was no response from Ron, and his body lay just as motionless before them as it had a moment ago. Draco stood and pulled Hermione close to him, and she buried her face in his chest and wept.

"I'm sorry..." He murmured. "I don't know what else to do..."

"You did everything you could." Hermione told him between her sobs. "I appreciate it, Draco...I know that you and Ron didn't get along that good..."

Draco shrugged. "Stupid school stuff, old prejudices. I haven't held anything against Weasley or Potter for a long time now. You all saved my life during the battle of Hogwarts. Twice. I don't forget."

"Your welcome." Came a weak, croaking voice from the floor beneath them. Hermione gasped and was back on the floor in an instant.

"Ron! Talk to me! How do you feel? Do you hurt? What can we do? Talk to me!" She fired all of the questions at him one after another, her hands clenching the sides of his face. Ron opened his mouth to try to answer, but then his eyelids rolled back and closed. His body went slack again, but this time they could clearly see the weak rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"He passed out." Draco said softly. "Too many questions, Hermione."

"Oh!" She buried her face in her hands and started crying again. "I didn't mean to..." Draco knelt beside of her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Sorry, I was kidding. It had nothing to do with you...he was moments from death when we got to him. Our magic and Caliburn brought him back, but he's very weak. We need to get him out of here so he can rest and get better." He picked up Ron again, cradled him in one arm and took Hermione's hand with the other. "Come on, let's get back downstairs."

They left the cell, and saw that the other prisoners had already fled through the open door at the end of the hall. When they got back to the lower corridor, the crowd had nearly doubled. Harry, Ginny, and Professor McGonagal were organizing everyone into a crude line, emphasizing the importance of holding hands with the person next to them.

Ginny started to greet Hermione and Draco, and then noticed Ron's unconscious body in Draco's arms. She let out a scream of anguish and sank to her knees. Harry turned to see what the trouble was, wand raised. He saw Ron as well, and took a step back at the sight of his best friend.

"Is he...is he..." Harry searched Hermione's face, his eyes begging her to tell him that Ron was still alive.

"He's still alive." Draco spoke up, allowing his meaning to sink in. If they didn't get away from this place, and soon, he didn't know how much longer Ron could hold on. There were no Dementors in the hallway, but he could sense their presence nearby, waiting for a moment of weakness so that they could regain their escaping prey.

Harry simply nodded, checked again to make sure that everyone was holding hands, and turned to Draco. "We're ready." He wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist, and she reached for Professor McGonagal's hand. Hermione took Harry's other hand, and felt Draco on her other side.

"Take him..." He said to Hermione, wrapping his arm securely around her. "I've got you." She took Ron, who due to the charm, weighed nothing more than a few ounces. Hermione wondered how heavy he would be without the charm, she could definitely feel how _small_ he was, how much weight he had lost in this nightmarish place.

She opened her mouth to ask Draco where they were going, but his hand was already raised. He held Caliburn in the air high above his head, twisted, and there was a brilliant flash of light. Hermione felt a lurch in her middle and knew that Harry was still securely beside her as they vanished with a faint cracking sound into the air.


	19. The School Again

**A/N Sorry for the long delay in posting, but its been a busy few weeks! Anyway, thank you for reading, alerting, favoriting, and reviewing! I appreciate all of the comments and look forward to more! :) I do not own Harry Potter, any of the characters, or storylines. And now, on with the story...(don't forget to leave a review!)**

Hermione looked around them as they apparated. She recognized where they were immediately, but she wasn't sure why Draco had brought them here. As if sensing her question, he spoke.

"It was the first place I thought of. There was always happiness here for me, and I thought we all needed that after that place." Harry nodded in complete understanding, and he and Draco shared a quick, uncharacteristic look of companionship. Hermione stared up at the castle walls, and felt a lump in her throat. She had not been to back to Hogwarts since the night of the great battle, and the triumph of the Dark Side. She wanted to bury her head in her hands to block out all of the memories surging through her, but couldn't because she was still holding Ron's unconscious body. Tears coursed freely down her face. Draco put an arm around her and squeezed lightly.

"It will all be okay now. They will have heard about the fall of the Ministry and shouldn't give us any resistance. We need to get Weasley inside."

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked, looking around them nervously. Hermione registered in that moment that they were alone, the group of people that they had rescued from the prison had vanished.

"I sent them to St. Mungo's. They should probably be looked over." Draco replied. At the stricken look on Harry's face he continued, somewhat apologetically. "I thought Ginny would want to be with her family...she'll be fine, we'll find her later, I promise. Let's get going, I think Weasley is beyond anything the Healers could do for him." Hermione nodded, and started moving toward the entrance. She felt a slight touch on her arm, and Harry stepped in front of her.

"Let me take him." He said, indicating Ron. Without a word, Hermione handed Harry his best friend and they all proceeded inside.

As Draco had predicted, the hall was largely empty. A few students lurked here and there, but scattered at their presence. Aside from being a school devoted exclusively to the study of the Dark Arts, Hogwarts appeared relatively unchanged. Draco led them into the Great Hall, and Harry laid Ron down on the nearest table under the enchanted ceiling.

"Can you heal him?" He asked Draco, never taking his anxious eyes off of Ron.

"Yes, I think so." Draco touched Caliburn to Ron's heart, and muttered a spell that Hermione didn't recognize. "Stay with him, he needs your friendship and positive energy." As if in a trance, Harry and Hermione moved to either side of Ron and gripped his unresponsive hands. Draco continued the spell, and after a moment, Hermione felt Ron's hand twitch slightly in hers. She raised her eyes to meet Harry's, and saw the hope reflected in them. Ron moaned, pulled his hands free, and tried to sit up. He turned to the side and saw Harry.

"Harry...mate...good to see you.." He said in a weak voice. Harry smiled at him, too overcome with emotion to respond. Ron turned to his other side and a warm look came into his haunted eyes as they fell on Hermione's face. "Hermione...Hermione." He reached up for her, and she embraced him. "Oh Merlin, Hermione...never thought I'd see you again...thought they'd killed you...are we even alive?"

"You're going to be okay, Ron." Hermione murmured. "You'll never have to go back to that place again. Draco has the Elder Wand, he saved us all and destroyed the Ministry." Ron closed his eyes as he tried to digest the information.

"Draco...? You don't mean..._Malfoy_?"

"Nice to see you, too, Weasley." Draco smirked, trying to resist the mounting urge to pull Hermione away from him. "And this time I'll say "you're welcome." Ron looked from Harry to Hermione, and finally at Draco.

"I don't understand."

"Well, mate, good thing we've got some time to explain it all to you." Harry said, holding on to Ron's arm as if he were afraid to let go. He looked at Draco's expression, and at Hermione still embracing Ron. "Although I don't think you're going to like all of it..."

OOOooOOOoo

Hermione looked absently out the familiar window in the Griffindor common room. She was reasonably sure that there were no more houses at Hogwarts other than Slytherin these days, but it was still comforting to be in the well known space. It was still new to her, to have time to herself to just think, to try to reason through her thoughts, to not have her own safety as the top priority. Ron was still very weak, but he was recovering well and getting stronger every day. Against her better judgment, Harry had told him about her and Draco's relationship. Ron's ears had turned as red as his hair, and he had looked at Hermione with an expression of horror, shock, and disbelief.

"Hermione...tell me that's not true! What were you thinking? What about us?" She had taken the cowardly, most shamefully non Griffindor way out, and fled from the room. Harry had known where to find her, and had come to talk to her later that day. He had assured her that Ron was still experiencing the trauma from his time in prison, and would come around soon.

"Besides," Harry had said, "Now that you know Ron's alive and still loves you, maybe you don't have to be with Malfoy anymore..." He had stopped, voice trailing off, at the look on Hermione's face, and made a hasty retreat. She had remained near the common room ever since, occasionally walking with Draco or getting updates on Ron's condition from Harry.

In short, Hermione Granger was feeling ashamed, a little sad, and most of all, very confused.

**Sorry about the short chapter, will update much sooner! Hmmm...it seems as though Hermione is faced with a choice now...**


	20. Be With Me

**A/N Hi!...I just wanted to address a couple of questions: Draco used the Elder Wand to destroy the Ministry of Magic, most of the Death Eaters were there and are assumed to have also been destroyed. Although one of two may have escaped or cast a shield charm in time...**

**He sent the captives to St. Mungo's so that they could be looked over by the Healers, reunite with family/friends etc. Since most of the Death Eaters were at the Ministry, there isn't really a danger of them going to the hospital to recapture anyone. Or if they do, they wouldn't be in any position to cause trouble. The school was being controlled by the Dark Side, but Draco correctly assumed that word would have reached the school about the Ministry's fall and the claiming of the Elder Wand. When they went inside, the few students that were still there fled. No one would dare challenge the Elder Wand at this point. I know that this story was originally a Dramione, but Ron really does think he loves Hermione and plans to make a good case for her to be with him...Hope that cleared a few things up, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! **

"Hermione." Draco stood in front of her in the common room. When she didn't respond, he repeated her name, louder and more forceful. She raised her eyes to his gray ones, knowing that she could never conceal her emotions from him. He did not comment on the fact that she was pretty much keeping herself sequestered in the tower or why she might be feeling so confused. "It's Weasley. He's finally awake, really awake this time. He's stronger now. He...he would like to see you." He stared at her imploringly, waiting for some kind of response. When she only returned her gaze to the window to look over the grounds, he threw his hands in the air. "What's going on with you? Would you rather we hadn't found Ron? Would things be easier for you if we had left him there to die?"

Hermione's face turned white, then red with anger. She jumped up, grabbed her wand, and pointed it in Draco's face. "How dare you say that, Draco Malfoy!" She screamed. "How could you think I would feel that way? How could you...?" Unable to speak anymore, she simply leveled her wand at him with a shaking hand. Instead of looking afraid, Draco smirked.

"Finally, she speaks. Now that I have your attention, Ron really would like to see you. Oh yeah, Potter wanted me to tell you that he wants to have lunch with you." Draco's voice lowered as he delivered the last part of his message. Hermione nodded, and ran her free hand through her hair. "Uh, would you mind..." Draco gestured toward her wand.

"Oh, sorry..." she lowered her hand and put her wand away.

"Good thing, I would've hated to have to hex you."

"Like you could have." She returned his smile, which widened.

"Anytime, Granger." He closed the gap between them and looked down at her. Hermione shivered slightly but stood her ground. She could sense that the atmosphere in the room had changed and they weren't necessarily talking about wands and hexing.

"Sorry I've been hiding out up here...just needed some time to sort things out." She said quickly, hoping she didn't sound too nervous. "So what's been going on? Anything I should know about?" Draco shrugged.

"Well, you were there when I took down the Ministry. The Death Eaters are gone, or in hiding." He paused, and Hermione knew that he was thinking about his father. Without thinking about it, she reached out and touched his arm. She couldn't even begin to understand the mixed emotions he must be feeling—if Lucius was truly dead, Draco was responsible, even if his actions had been in self defense. Draco took her hand in his own gratefully and continued. "Everyone we sent to the hospital has pretty much recovered and the Wizarding world is trying to rebuild. It's been mentioned that I should be the next minister because of the Wand, but I don't think that's safe. Much as I hate to admit it, Potter is the only one who seems to be able to handle power and not let it take him over. I suggested he take the position. He wasn't too thrilled, but he's thinking about it. That's probably what he wants to talk over with you today."

"So I haven't missed much, then." Hermione smiled at him, and he pulled her into a hug.

"Nah, same old same old."

"Have you...spoken to your...mother?" Hermione asked carefully. She felt Draco clutch her tighter for a moment.

"No. I guess I can understand why she did what she did, but I'm not ready to forgive her yet. I still can't believe she would be naïve enough to think that he wouldn't try to harm us."

"Well, people see what they want to see." Hermione said softly.

"And how about you?" Draco responded quietly. "What do you see?"

"I see you." She said in a whisper as their eyes met. He moved his face closer to hers, and Hermione closed her eyes as their lips touched. She savored the sensation of his kiss, of his closeness, of his scent, of his strength.

"I've missed you, Hermione." Draco said breathlessly when they broke apart. She averted her eyes.

"Me too, but I really do need to see Ron. Where is he?"

Draco stepped back. "He's resting down in Classroom 3. I transfigured it to look like a living room. His family just left not too long ago." She caught the unspoken implication in his words that Ron was alone.

"Thanks." Hermione touched his arm briefly and then started out.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Draco asked, almost desperately. Hermione turned and looked at him, blond hair slightly mussed, hands at his sides, eyes boring into her own. He was waiting, she knew, waiting for her decision. And it was probably a more important decision than just going to visit Ron. Hermione swallowed hard and shook her head.

"No, I'd prefer to go on my own. We'll meet up later, I promise." She gave him a small smile and walked to the door with more confidence than she felt, leaving him standing there.

OoooOO

"Hermione!" Ron jumped up as soon as she entered the transfigured classroom. Moving slightly stiffly, he crossed the room and embraced her. "Hermione, all I can think about is how sorry I am for yelling at you like that when I first woke up. See, even a stint in Azkaban couldn't knock the insensitive git out of me." He tried for a smile, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. Hermione noticed that they contained an expression that she had always associated with Sirius. She shrugged and bit her lip to keep from crying.

"You know I forgive you, Ron. I don't even know the half of what you went through..." He shook his head and placed a finger on her lips.

"You went through some horrible situations yourself. But the important thing is, that's all behind us now and we can get back to the normal, the way things were, the way they should have been." Hermione looked up at him, his face so familiar to her, this boy that she had seen practically every day since she turned 11, had watched mature, had fallen in love with. But...things had changed, and there was no denying that or going back. Seeing her hesitation, Ron sighed and led her over to a comfortable looking couch. "Hermione, I know what you're going to say. I know all about you...and Malfoy (Ron made a face)...but I'm back now. The war's finally over. The good guys won. You did what you had to do in order to survive. We all did. Just think about it for a minute—if things had happened the way they were supposed to initially, would you have ever looked twice at Malfoy? Harry told me all about how you were a prisoner in that house of horrors, of course you took an escape as soon as it was offered! Anyone would have done the same in that situation! But now that things have settled down, what do you want? What is your heart telling you?" He looked at her earnestly, eyes pleading. Hermione felt tears well up behind her eyes. It all made sense, what Ron was telling her. Draco had kept her warm, had protected her, had ultimately saved her. Did that mean she was in love with him? Or was Ron right—that the two of them belonged together? She felt as though she were floundering in the dark, trying to make sense of emotions that were completely foreign to her. Being alone had not helped her to sort through what she was feeling. All she had accomplished was missing Draco terribly and feeling confused and ashamed about Ron while also being relieved that he was alive. The truth was that Ron was the first boy she had ever really had strong feelings for, but in light of what she had shared with Draco, she wasn't sure if they were really love or just a deep friendship. In any event, Ron's friendship wasn't something she was willing to lose. He had been an important part of her life for so long, she knew that she could never turn her back on that or not be able to count him as a friend.

"Just think," Ron went on, his face brightening as he thought of another point. "My family is back at the Burrow, they can't wait to see you there. C'mon, Hermione, don't tell me that the thought of one of my mom's home cooked meals isn't making you smile. What's the alternative, hanging out at Monster Manor with Narcissa? I'm sure she'd love to have you over for tea."

The tears that had been threatening spilled over as Hermione faced Ron. "So you're saying that I wouldn't be welcome at the Burrow anymore if I don't agree to be with you?" Ron's ears turned red and he ran his hands through his hair, exasperated.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! I just wanted to point out that I have a warm, wonderful family that would love you, they already do!" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "Ah, don't cry, Hermione, I don't want to hurt you. You're all that I could think about in that place, all I could see was you dying, you lost to me, until I couldn't even remember my own name anymore. I need you Hermione, I need to be with you. I can't imagine my life without you in it." Hermione allowed him to hold her and waited for the breathless rush of emotions to take over. But they didn't come. All she could think was that he felt different than Draco, his chest was not as broad, his arms were squeezing her too tightly, his scent was off...She moved away and looked into his eyes.

"Ron, I'm so sorry. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is cause you more pain. But I think I need to be by myself for a little while, my mind feels so crowded with all of this..." She trailed off, not able to express what she was feeling. Ron looked disappointed and hurt, but nodded.

"I understand, Hermione. I'll give you all the time that you need, it will be worth the wait when we're together in the end." Unable to confirm or deny that for him, Hermione could only smile tearfully at him as she stood to leave. She glanced back at Ron just once, sitting slightly forlorn on the couch as he watched her go.

**A/N I knew that Ron wasn't going to let go of Hermione so easily! I will update very soon, please don't forget to leave me a review! :) **


	21. Back to Normal

Hermione sat in the Muggle cafe, watching people going by. Even though she had grown up in this world, it still amazed her that they could be so oblivious to the events around them. A major war had begun and ended, the Death Eaters were finally defeated. Now she, Hermione Granger, former prisoner of said war, sat here calmly in this cafe waiting for her friend like any other person.

She watched Harry approach from down the street, and smiled at him as he drew closer.

"Hi, Harry. How are you?" He ran his fingers through his still unruly dark hair and shrugged as he sat down across from her.

"I'm doing okay. I suppose you've heard the latest, Malfoy wants me to be the Minister!" He laughed without humor. "Can you believe it?"

"Well, yes, Harry—I can." Hermione smiled gently at him. "You are the best one for the job. That Elder Wand needs watching over and it's powers need to be regulated, used for the good of the wizarding world. You're the only one who can handle that task." He put his head in his hands.

"I know...I know...I just need some time, Hermione. I still feel like I'm back in that place sometimes. Seeing Ginny again, rebuilding what we had together has been wonderful, but the nightmares are still there. I feel like I'm still catching my breath..." He looked back up at her, helplessness in his eyes.

"Oh Harry." Hermione touched his arm sympathetically, trying to think of a way that she could help her friend. "What can I do to help?" Harry brightened up slightly and smiled wearily.

"The wizarding world needs someone to take charge now. I'm willing to do the job, but I wouldn't be the best person right now. I need to get my head together first. Would you...and Malfoy...get things started? Just for about a month?" He stared at her anxiously.

"Are you ready to order? Do you need a menu, sir?" A smiling waitress came over to their table. Harry turned slowly to face her, studying her face as though he had never seen anything like it.

"Um...we'll have two hot cocoas and split an order of meat pie." Hermione ordered quickly.

"I'll put your order in right away." If the waitress noticed Harry's odd gaze, she didn't comment as she walked toward the kitchen.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Hermione asked, concerned. He looked away from the waitress and out the windown.

"Yeah. I'll be fine, Hermione, sorry about that. It just feels still feels strange to have things back to normal again. Not to have to worry about being attacked or..interrogated...every other moment. To be able to walk around, free. To see the sun. Not to have Dementors sucking every positive emotion or shard of hope out of you..." He paused and attempted to smile again. "Ginny said that I should talk with a Mind Healer. She wants to go with me, she's feeling a lot of the same emotions. It's just so hard for me..." Hermione nodded in understanding.

"The weight of the Wizarding World has been on your shoulders for a long time, Harry. While you were in prison you must have felt like you failed everyone, like you couldn't save those that you loved. And you never were one to open up and bare your soul, but I agree with Ginny. It would help you to see a Mind Healer, Harry."

"I know. It's really important to Ginny, she already made the appointment. I want this to work, Hermione. I want to be the person that Ginny fell in love with. Yes, I want to be the Minister, but I have to focus on myself right now." He looked at her earnestly, the unanswered question in his green eyes.

"Does Ron know what you want me to do?" Hermione asked, still avoiding making a decision. Harry shook his head.

"No. He almost died in that fortress of nightmares. All he should be doing is concentrating on getting better."

"Still Harry, always taking care of everyone else." Hermione tried to make her tone light and teasing, but her words came out tender. "I can do that for you, as long as you need me to." Harry smiled in relief, and Hermione took note that it was the first "real" smile he had shown since he had joined her.

"Thank you, Hermione. You don't know what this means to me." His relief quickly turned to concern. "Are you up to it? I know that you suffered, too. If you don't feel ready, we can find someone else.." Hermione interrupted him by shaking her head.

"Draco and I work well together, Harry. It will be fine. You take as long as you need to get better, and when you're ready, the Ministry will be running smoothly."

Before Harry could respond, the smiling waitress returned with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa and a large plate of meat pie.


	22. Together Again

**A/N Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and words of encouragement! This chapter will wrap up the story (unless you want more...let me know after reading!) and will answer the question of who Hermione chooses to be with. Enjoy :)**

**I do not own Harry Potter, the story lines, or characters (my bank account proves it!)**

Hermione glanced around her small apartment with pride. It wasn't much, but it was hers. She felt independent and free, something she hadn't felt in a long time. A week had passed since she had told Harry she would work with Draco Malfoy as Interim Ministry of Magic until he was back on his feet.

At the moment, Harry, Ginny, and a Mind Healer were on an extended holiday on a bright tropical island. Hermione knew that the Mind Healer had chosen the island, and suspected that the location had to do with the fact that it was as far away from the dismal fortress of Azkaban as one could get.

She had visited with Ron a couple of times, but always with Molly or another member of his family. She was sure now that she did not feel anything for Ron besides a deep sense of friendship. Maybe that could have one day developed into something else, but there was another, more earnest, longing in her heart. Hermione felt peaceful every night when she went to bed, but she was finding that she missed Draco's presence. She missed his eyes, his dry sense of humor, his strength.

A sudden knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. Instinctively, Hermione grabbed her wand and muttered the spell that would reveal who was on the other side. She was surprised, but not unpleasantly so, to find that it was Draco behind the door. She lowered her wand and opened it.

"Draco...I thought I conjured you up...I was just thinking about you!" Hermione blurted out, and then blushed. He smirked and pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Good thoughts, I hope." He murmured into her hair, making her shiver. Hermione laughed nervously and stepped back.

"Please come in...we have a lot to talk about, it seems." Draco nodded.

"Actually, I thought that we could..." He looked at her for a moment, and paused. "Let me start over. What I'm trying to say is that the way we met...was such extreme circumstances. I would like an opportunity to date you properly, to make you fall in love with me the right way." He looked uncertain and embarrassed, which was such an uncharacteristic look for Draco Malfoy that Hermione had to work hard to keep herself from smiling. "You're right, we do have a lot to talk about. Would you like to have that conversation over dinner?"

"I'd love to." Hermione answered. "Do you want to come in while I get ready...?"

"It's up to you. I could come back in a little while, if you want."

"Please come in." Hermione felt a boldness along with her newly found sense of freedom. She took hold of his hand and pulled him into her apartment, shutting the door behind them.

"I can wait on the couch..." Draco started to say, but Hermione led him past the small living room and through another door. When they reached her bedroom, she put her arms around his neck and snuggled into a close embrace.

"I've missed you, Draco." She raised her face to his, and he responded immediately. He moved his hands to the sides of her face, lowered his lips to hers, and kissed her deeply.

"Hermione...I need to be with you...but I want you to be sure..." He murmured, pulling back slightly and looking into her eyes.

"Draco, I am sure...more sure than I've ever been about anything." He smiled and kissed her again. She felt his tongue stroking the edges of her lips, seeking entrance. She parted her lips slightly, and felt him gently thrust his tongue in and out, imitating the act that they both craved. Hermione felt her knees grow weak as waves of pleasure and desire coursed through her body. Sensing this, Draco moved her backward toward the bed, pushing her down on it. Hermione raised her hands to reach behind him, rubbing his muscular back under his shirt. Smiling impishly, she sat up and pulled at his arms, indicating that she wanted him to lay down. Draco grinned and did as she wanted.

Hermione moved on top of him, raising his shirt so that she could caress his chest. She lowered her head so that she could nuzzle the patch of hair, and then moved over to his hardened nipples. She felt him suck in his breath sharply as she flicked her tongue over each one. Hermione began kissing her way down his chest and stomach, pausing only when she reached his jeans. She sat up and fumbled with the button until she popped it open. With Draco's help, she slid his jeans and boxers off, and then continued kissing where she had left off.

"Hermione...please..." Draco moaned as she moved her mouth lower. Marveling that she, Hermione Granger, could have this effect on any man, let alone Draco Malfoy, Hermione smiled to herself. She licked around the top of Draco's erect manhood, and then took him into her mouth. She felt Draco's hands wind themselves into her curly hair as he thrust up and down in time to her mouth. Hermione drew him in as far as she could and also used her hands to stroke him. Draco's breathing became faster and heavier, and she knew that he wasn't far from giving her all of him. At that moment, his hands tightened in her hair and he pulled her upward.

"What?" She asked breathlessly. "Weren't you enjoying that?" A rush of familiar insecurity found her and she felt her face redden.

"Was I enjoying myself..." Draco rolled his eyes and laughed. "Hermione, if I had enjoyed myself any more, this night would probably be over already. It's been way too long, I want to take my time and enjoy every inch of you..." He put his hands under her arms and lifted her up, and then rolled her over so that she was on her back. He pulled his shirt off and then stretched out beside her, propped up on one elbow so that he was leaning over her. His free hand slid under her shirt and began rubbing her silky skin. He stopped when he reached her bra. Using both hands, he reached around her to unhook it, and then slid her shirt off. Almost shyly, Hermione removed her bra and tossed it aside. She closed her eyes and tried to resist the urge to cover herself.

"Hermione, look at me." Draco said, tracing the outside of her mouth with one finger. When she opened her eyes, he smiled at her. "You are so beautiful...so beautiful.." He cupped both of her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. Hermione moaned with pleasure, feeling her lower regions throb with need for him. Draco lowered his head and took each nipple in his mouth in turn, enjoying the feeling of moving his tongue around them and grazing them softly with his teeth. He mimicked her movements, kissing slowly down her stomach. He paused when he reached her navel, running his tongue lightly around the outside edges. Hermione gasped with the sensitivity of it, and then felt him continue lower.

Draco removed her pants and underwear, caressing and kissing her legs as he did so. When he reached her feet, he lifted them both up to the sides of his face and Hermione squirmed at the feeling of her sensitive soles against the slight roughness of his jawline. Then Draco let his lips brush over her toes and tops of her feet, sending delightful shivers all through her. He kissed back up her legs, and when he reached her sex, he blew lightly on it. He used his fingers to gently separate her folds and expose the swollen nub that was the center of her pleasure. Draco lowered his head, and took her in his mouth. Hermione cried out, and grasped the sheets beneath her tightly. Draco alternated between swirling his tongue around her and sucking gently. He slowly increased the pace until he felt her trembling and panting, her hands clenching and unclenching the sheets.

"Draco...I need...please don't stop...its going to happen..." He slowed down immediately, and flicked her with his tongue, holding her quivering body tightly with his hands. Hermione screamed out his name again and again as an earthquake of pleasure overtook her and carried her away. The only thing real was Draco, and the wonderful sensations he was giving her.

When the tremors subsided in a few moments, Draco moved beside her again and pulled her into his chest. "Draco, that was wonderful...I love you..." He kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, Hermione." He rubbed her shoulders and neck.

"Draco..I need you..." She sat up and straddled his lap. Draco closed his eyes and let his hands enjoy her luscious body, running up and down. Hermione moved herself over him, and slowly took him deep inside of her.

"Hermione..." Draco said though gritted teeth. "You feel so good, baby..." He grasped her hips and moved her up and down on him. Hermione met him stroke for stroke as they rocked together, running her hands up and down over his chest. Finally, Draco reached up to cup her face, and brought her in closer for a passionate kiss. She moved on him faster, and with one final moan and cry of her name, she felt his warmth spread deep within her. The feeling caused delightful tingles throughout her body, and moments later her muscles tightened around him as she experienced the height of pleasure with him.

Draco held her close against him for a long time, and then moved them so that they were side by side, her back against his chest, her buttocks against his still damp and throbbing manhood. He reached around to stroke her breasts and then kissed the back of her neck.

"I won't have any trouble sleeping tonight..." Hermione murmured, and he laughed softly against her hair.

"Glad I could be of service."

Draco rubbed her back softly until he felt her breathing deepen and her still trembling body relax beneath his hands. He knew that whatever tomorrow would bring, they would face it together as they helped to create the new Wizarding World.


End file.
